


Riptide

by hmmaster



Category: Naruto, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Follows Canon of YJ to a certain extent, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-22
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-01-26 04:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 115,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1674845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hmmaster/pseuds/hmmaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a last-ditch effort to end the Kyuubi for good, Minato and Kushina work together to send the newborn jinchuuriki into another world. The sealing formula they used adapted Naruto to fit his new environment, but when he lands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the newly-crowned Orin and his best friend Mera find the newest Atlantean in the center of a crater.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Unfamiliar Water

**POSEIDONIS**  
OCTOBER 10, 8:02 UTC-2  
FOURTEEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

The newly-crowned king stopped in mid-sentence, angling his neck away from the red locks swaying in the water. He stood from his seat immediately, ignoring his breakfast and rising up effortlessly in a few quick kicks to hover evenly, looking out the window.

"Orin! What's wrong?" The girl joined him, a concerned scowl across her face. The sudden disturbance interrupted their first opportunity to be alone together in weeks. Her teeth were clenched together in a look that signified rage, and he was personally glad to not be on the receiving end.

Orin shared her impatience with his personal life being interrupted for his new duties. He wasn't supposed to receive the throne until he had matured, but that had been cut five years short when his father passed away. The throne immediately fell to him, and the stress and grief had seemingly aged him several years in only a few short weeks. These moments with Mera, as infrequent as they were, reminded them he was still too young to rule.

Orin and Mera looked through the partly-translucent dome, just as the water shook from another explosion. "What was that?" she asked again, her scowl fading finally.

For once, he was glad that the palace was on a higher shelf partially-removed from the city itself. Down below, the two of them could see the source of the problem. A building in the financial district remained in ruins, the coral and rock glowing with heat that reminded him of thermal vents. Fish swam away from the city in huge schools, terrified of what had occurred.

"I do not know, but they will need me," he said apologetically, but as he left to go look, Mera gave him an exasperated look and followed. "It's not-"

"Safe? I'm going and you can't stop me."

Orin and Mera swam towards it faster than he probably should, passing several concerned citizens who cowered behind the walls, staring above them and thinking the others would come as well. Mera calmed them as best as she could, shouting as they moved.

When he stopped suddenly, floating in place above the wreckage, there were already several soldiers pointing their spears and gathering around the building.

"What's happened?" Orin asked carefully to the commanding officer, a Conservatory tattoo of a sea serpent circling his eye.

"Something suddenly burst from above, surrounded by yellow light and crashed into the bank," the man said carefully, bowing to his king. "The explosion when it crashed was strong enough that it cracked open the seabed." He pointed to the thin, shallow chasm below their feet, extending as far as the eye could see and destabilizing several other buildings, pieces of which had broken off and fallen inside.

"Was anyone harmed?" asked Mera, and the soldier gave her an interesting look.

"You can share the intel with her. She is with me," he said automatically, and the soldier earned a scowl from the redhead.

He shook his head. "No, my king. I ordered my men to keep away from whatever was the source. The civilians talk of a meteor."

Orin shared a glance with Mera and then moved toward the inside. "Stay back a moment." She looked like she would protest, but the soldier moved in front of her.

"We will keep her safe, my king."

Orin nodded, already wishing that she was as respected as he was. The girl was just a student of the Conservatory to most of the population, and they could not see the love the two held for each other.  _One day, they will love you as their Queen._

"Send for Vulko," Orin commanded, hoping the scientist could help discover what had happened. He swam into the wreckage, the heat from the explosion's wreckage warming the water around him to incredibly high levels. He was escorted by four soldiers, their spears at the ready, but he doubted they would need them once he saw the source.

Deep in the center of a smoking crater was what did appear to be a meteor, but the bubbles spiraling up from the massive heat around it made it difficult to see. He dropped to the bottom of the crater, mere centimeters away from touching the surface, and his feet were already scolding. A soldier's dolphin-like tail whipped against the ground and immediately jumped through the water in pain, a small burn already forming.

He sent for help from someone who knew magic, who could stabilize the heat so they could investigate what was going on. He moved as close as he dared, avoiding the hot bubbles just in front of his face, and looked directly at the object to investigate it. The steam-filled bubbles faded away for a moment, and his eyes flashed with realization.

Surrounded by what appeared to be glass or perhaps an opaque gemstone was a sleeping newborn infant, as naked as the moment he was born. The stone was crimson red, striated like it was made of several pieces, and Orin was terrified for the boy.  _Could he be alive?_

He turned to the soldier beside him, grabbing the spear. "Let me borrow that for a moment!"

"What are you going to do?"

"Break it open," he answered simply, already flexing his muscles in preparation.

As though by divine providence, he heard a familiar voice shout at him, and without another moment, the bearded scientist floated down next to him. "My king! What has happened?"

"Vulko! There's a baby inside that thing!" he said carefully, pointing to the meteor that he wasn't sure was actually a meteor anymore. "We need to free him!"

The head of the Science Center nodded, moving closer than he himself even dared, driven by his curiosity. "Don't do anything rash."

Orin grinned at the sight, having known the man for as long as he had been alive. The chief advisor for all things science to the king, Orin realized this was the first time he had personally called on Vulko. One of his first memories was going with his mother and father to the Science Center and to consult the kingdom's rising acid levels.

The mages from the Conservatory arrived, Mera taking the initiative to join them, and four of them joined her. They chanted lightly for a few moments, before immediately casting a spell. The water glowed with green and blue light, instantly chilling the water significantly. Ice formed on the crater, stopping the steam from rising. They could see the object more clearly now, and Mera joined him, her octopus-like tattoo fading.

"There's a baby?" she asked carefully, an arm around the fifteen-year-old king. The other teen sounded hopeful "Do you think he's alive?"

Vulko nodded, removing any prejudices he had against Mera asking questions. The separation between civilian and nobility was incredibly clear in Poseidonis, although there were other cities he had visited with a blurred perspective. Orin had to thank the man later for giving Mera the time of day. "Yes, I believe so. The crystal around it must have preserved him, protected him from the impact."

They couldn't see clearly enough through the class to see if the baby was human or not, but Orin was suddenly thankful that Vulko had arrived in time to stop him from breaking it open. Was he an alien from beyond the surface world's skies? If the baby was human, the pressure would kill him. He was already contemplating order the members of the Conservatory to cast the necessary spells to create a bubble of atmosphere around the area, but the scientist suddenly shouted something unintelligible.

"He's Atlantean!" Vulko shouted, instantly raising more questions. The soldiers murmured around them, but Orin was already thinking of what to do. Ordering the mages to perform the necessary spell, the four of them performed the spell to hold back the powerful force of the ocean, as a precaution. Mera's tattoos glowed to life again, running along her cheeks and pointing directly to her eyes. He had to stop himself from dropping his jaw at her beauty, as the ocean washed over him.

Stepping to the ground of the crater, cool now to the touch, he felt the usual weakness that accompanied the feeling of being away from the water, before his body could adjust accordingly. It happened within a few seconds, but he supposed he adjusted far easier than most, given who his father was.

He stepped into the center of the crater, holding the soldier's spear in his hand. Vulko was suddenly beside him, touching the surface of the odd crimson gem-like material. It seemed to glow lightly from his touch.

"Fascinating," he said carefully. "It would have be incredibly durable to withstand the pressure and protect what's inside." He ran his hands across it, but Orin was staring intently at the baby's belly. The orange light seemed to becoming from an interesting tattoo-like spiraling symbol on the boy's stomach, but he couldn't see any other defining Atlantean features. The gem was too opaque to see clearly, but perhaps Vulko knew better. He had to trust the man's word on matters like this.

"There are nine pieces, carefully wrapped together to protect the air pocket in the middle," Vulko said interestingly. "Not a stone formation that could have occurred naturally, and definitely not in outer space." He mumbled something about the surface dwellers, but Orin couldn't listen to his prejudices. "Someone did this intentionally, as though they knew he was going to be sent underwater. The spherical ridges distinctly protect against the depth. I've never seen anything like it."

"Can I break it now?" he asked abruptly. "They can't hold the spell forever."

After a long moment, Vulko nodded. "You have to do it so precisely." He pointed to a spot where three striations seemed to meet, above where the boy's head was underneath. "To hit this spot, and this spot only. Hit it hard, but do it carefully."

Orin nodded and took a deep breath, looking around the glowing lavender bubble of water. Mera gave a weak thumbs-up, and it was all the encouragement he needed.

Tensing his powerful muscles, he carefully stabbed the spear's point into the exact place where Vulko instructed, and the object cracked, a crisscross of weakening points suddenly splitting into it. He panted lightly, arms straining, and suddenly jerked the spear upwards, prying a huge piece of it away.

Instantly dropping to his knees from expended effort, Vulko pulled more of the crystal away carefully and grinned heartily. He pulled what looked to be a scroll from the baby's side, looking at it carefully. "Odd. Someone's sent a message with it?" he suggested before opening the paper.

Orin was interested in the message, but he was more interested in the baby boy. A tuft of blonde hair, tiny little fingers, a glowing orange tattoo on his belly. His eyes were closed, too young to have them open yet, but there were clear gills on his shoulders, proving his Atlantean heritage. His chest rose and fell as he took what could have been one of his very first breaths with his nose, before it suddenly screamed awake.

"Oh, good, he's awake!" the scientist said, looking away from the scroll, as Orin lifted the boy into his arms, troubled at the appearance of pointed teeth, almost like a shark. His spine lightly protruded from his neck, the back of his hands shimmering with lightly shiny blue-green scales.  _The boy's going to attract the attention of the Purists..._

After only a few seconds of being away from the crystal structure, it fell apart and suddenly disintegrated to nothing but mere dust, as though its purpose had been fulfilled. The tattoo stopped glowing, the black ink suddenly bubbling up from the skin. Orin nearly dropped the baby when the liquid suddenly lurched out, as though alive, before falling away and turning into nothing more than a small puddle. It disappeared shortly after, preventing them from getting a sample of it. The crystal dust was gone as well, and Orin frowned.

The baby continued crying loudly, even as Orin rocked him carefully in his hands. He suddenly realized he had no idea how to take care of a child, and he doubted that Orm counted.

Vulko had a frown on his face. "I can't make heads or tails of this. It's in some kind of antiquated air-breather language." Orin took a peak himself, but it definitely was indeed an odd language of symbols. He could read and speak English on account of his father, but this was nothing like those letters. What was the most odd, however, was the fact that it was written in a crimson ink that had to be blood.

"I'm sure someone can cast a spell to translate it," he said, knowing that they had devised a spell for similar purposes. He gestured to the members of the Conservatory, and the water and all its pressure gently reapplied to him. Orin felt reinvigorated, and the boy seemed to calm immediately. His fingers gripped the man gently, and he grinned.

"He's beautiful," Mera said as she joined him immediately, gesturing for her hands. Orin's grin extended even further the moment the thirteen-year-old took the baby in her hands, supporting its head. The red-haired girl had never looked more gorgeous than that exact moment, and Orin's heart swelled.

Everyone came to greet the newborn Atlantean, while Orin tried to handle all their questions that he could answer. The baby seemed happy surrounded by all these people, but it didn't take long before he started to cry again.

"I'll go feed him," she declared, swimming away from the wreckage of the crash site. "I'm sure there's something he can eat around there." As she did, several soldiers followed to escort her.

He wanted to follow, but Vulko stopped him. "The answers are all in this scroll," the scientist said.

As soon as the translation spell was active, a light blue glow emitting from the letters, they seemed to shift into an intelligible script. He wanted to read it all at once, but there was a lot of information there. When he found something that could be considered an introduction, he began to read.

_"Naruto,_

_I'm sorry for what we had to do. I'm sure you're old enough to understand the contents of the letter, but there are so many things to explain. The most important thing to understand is that we decided that sending you away into another world would prevent another catastrophe from happening. A great demon called the Kyuubi no Kitsune was terrorizing your hometown, and as the leader of the village, I had to do something to stop it. So I sealed part of its power within you, and sent you to another world. There were people trying to control its powers, and it was too risky to leave you here where we are. As my last act, I sent you away using what was left of the Kyuubi's power to do it, to protect you on your journey and to allow you to fit into this new world, wherever you may be. When you read this, the Kyuubi should be dead, and you'll never have a reason to fear it again._

_There's so much more than we want to say, but we are running out of time. We're sorry._

_Love,  
Your Parents."_

There was more on the scroll, but Orin suddenly felt like he was violating into another person's life. He shut it carefully, sticking it into his pocket. "I'll explain it to everyone later." He kicked off above, hoping to go find Mera and the baby named Naruto as quickly as possible.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
OCTOBER 10, 16:11 UTC-2  
FOURTEEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Orin never realized he had fallen asleep until someone knocked on the door, shaking him awake. It opened carefully, revealing the form of his younger brother, running a hand through his brown hair as he swam inside. "I came as soon as I heard! How are you two doing?"

Orin turned to see Mera rocking the baby to sleep, holding a skin filled with nutrient-enriched water, a bit of kelp on a plate next to her. She smiled at him and at Orm.

"We're fine. Little Naruto here is okay as well," she said. "His gills aren't fully developed, so he's having some trouble breathing, but he's been adjusting for the past few hours. Everyone says he'll be fine shortly."

The prince smiled. "Of course. Do you need anything, Mera?" When the woman shook her head, he gestured for Orin to come with him. The blonde teenager nodded and waved carefully, before swimming out of the room with his brother.

"I assume you have something to discuss?"

Prince Orm frowned lightly. "Well, yes, I'm afraid. The Elders have convened-"

"Without me?" he asked, careful not to raise his voice, but his anger was still evident.

Orm backed off a bit. "They felt you would be too close to the boy to truly make a decision that would be what was best for the kingdom."

He grit his teeth. It was like his father all over again; after his mother died, his human father had become king, and they didn't respect him at all. The Elders operated as though they were beyond reproach.

"Brother, would you tell me where the power lies in Atlantis?"

The boy opened his mouth, taking in a breath. "In you, of course."

"Exactly. What did they declare about Naruto?"

The prince seemed confused about hearing the boy's name, but eventually shook it off. "They believe the boy is a danger to Poseidonis and all of Atlantis as a whole. There's too much mystery about himself and this other  _world_  he comes from, so the boy is to be executed."

The casual way his brother said that immediately angered him. "The baby will be staying in Poseidonis, end of discussion. If not in our very home, dear brother, then we will find a suitable home for him. It is not up for debate."

Orm squirmed under his tone, but there was some kind of hidden anger in his eyes. "I did not mean to offend, my brother, I was merely relaying the message."

"Thank you for telling me about the message that I will entirely disregard," Orin declared. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some people to see."

He left the prince and vanished from the palace, hoping he could take care of a few things that he should have taken care of earlier. When he finally arrived at the Science Center, Vulko was already waiting for him, holding data reports in his hands.

"How's the baby?" asked the man quickly, and all Orin could do was nod before he was interrupted with the science talk. "We were able to isolate a certain kind of unknown radiation at the site, as well as particles of that crystal that looked like it had disappeared completely." He held up a picture of the microscopic image, revealing what looked like a very energetic solid.

"What is it?"

"It's some kind of energy construct," he said excitedly. "There's so much power behind that tiny speck, but it vanished completely within a few minutes. We managed to get a picture of it under a microscope before it disintegrated."

He nodded; it must have to do with the demon. He'd already guessed that the crystal was the protective force Naruto's parents had mentioned using the demon's power for, but a lot of questions were left in the air. Was this "other world" that the scroll mentioned filled with people who looked like Atlanteans and lived under water? It seemed unlikely, but he supposed they would never know unless there was more information from the scroll.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
OCTOBER 11, 09:19  
FOURTEEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Mera focused on the boy's small face, his teeth as sharp as a shark's, despite being so young. He was an oddity, an impossible little boy who made little sense in the grand scheme of things. It was as though the gods themselves had sent him to them, and she considered that a blessing.

The scroll had said otherwise, but she thought it was a miracle. Poseidon  _must_  have influenced the boy coming here of all places, even if the boy's actual parents had sent him to another world. The gods _had_  to have helped guide the boy on his journey from one place to the next, because that was what they did, wasn't it? They guide heroes.

She smiled. "My little hero..."

Mera wondered what her mother had been like, but she had no memories of her. Her father had been absent, and he could be anywhere in the Seven Seas right now, and she'd never find him. She might have only been thirteen, but she had already made up her mind.

This boy was going to be raised like her own, whether Orin was there or not. She'd already received a visit from one of the nurses who didn't like her, and gotten an inappropriate look. The woman had requested to take the boy to a hospital about his breathing problems, but she'd refused. The idea of the boy leaving her side was terrifying, especially when she heard what Orin said about the Elders.

She knew what happened to the so-called "fish-heads" and that wouldn't happen to Naruto. She wouldn't let it.

But the Elders would pressure Orin to get the boy out of sight; they wouldn't let him taint the crown. Mera lived in the Conservatory of Sorcery, but she was uncertain if that would be any better than the palace. The Elders would pressure the boy to removed elsewhere, if not outright executed like they intended, and even if Orin could put his foot down, she wasn't sure if it would make a difference.

The Conservatory was the best bet, the more she thought about it. She could take care of a baby, and her own teacher had always wanted to have a child. She knew this would be the best option. She just knew it.

The door to the guest room where she had slept for the night opened, revealing two soldiers swimming in. She reached for the beautiful blonde boy and took him into her arms, as though to protect him.

"I'm afraid that you cannot stay here any longer, Mera. The Conservatory has requested your appearance immediately."

Mera nodded. "Is King Orin here? I need to tell him something I've decided about the baby."

The female soldier looked at her quizzically, gripping her spear loosely. "I don't believe so, ma'am. His highness left early this morning to take care of other business."

"What other business?" she asked, receiving a frown from the other soldier.

"A council meeting with the Elders."

Mera's eyes widened, realizing that they were going to make a decision about Naruto without her input. Perhaps justifiably so, but she needed to tell him immediately.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
OCTOBER 11, 9:51 UTC-2  
FOURTEEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Never in any moment before had Orin felt more powerful. He loved seeing their expressions when he challenged their supposed authority. This was the first major time he had ever had a conflict with them, and despite the fact that he wasn't of age, he wouldn't let them rule in his stead on issues such as this.

"I simply do not understand why you would protect the boy," one said in the closed chambers, placing his hands on the circular desk that surrounded him. "He's clearly a danger to the kingdom!"

"There are too many unknown factors involved."

"And the scroll said there was a demon involved! Do you want a demon in our midst?!"

Orin ignored their questions and concerns, but inwardly, he was worried about them. It was... unnatural for teeth to be generated that soon. Was the demon still involved, despite all evidence to point to the contrary?

"I apologize, Elders, but I am simply not negotiating with you on this matter," he said confidently. "I will speak with you about tax brackets or how to deal with disputes among the city-states, but I will not make a deal with you on the issue of this boy's safety."

"This demon could be more dangerous than any damnable dispute!"

"You need to kill him. Get rid of him. He cannot threaten Poseidonis."

Orin sighed. "I am King, and what I say goes."

"And you're a fool!" shouted the most vocal of the Elders, a nasty-looking old man with a choppy beard. His robe billowed around him. "You are not of age,  _King_  Orin. We have been at this job far longer than you, and we will not be fooled into submission by naive upstarts."

Orin sighed again as the Elders all rallied behind the man's comments, and any good feeling he had about his authority was slowly sinking away. They were serious about ignoring his authority. What to do about it?

"King Orin, you have a visitor," someone said from the door, a guard to their chambers. The king saw the opportunity, grinning mischievously. "It's an urgent matter of life or death. Should I allow her inside?"

"Of course," he said automatically, much to the bemoaning of the Elders.

Mera entered the room, earning an even bigger smile from Orin. She rushed inside, the baby in her hands wrapped in cloth, and the king nearly watched the council behind him have heart attacks. A second person swam in, a middle-aged woman with the tail and size of a manatee; Orin recognized her as Savenna. Despite her weight, Savenna had this countenance about her that was as elegant as any noble person.

"This is an outrage! A civilian orphan bringing the demon inside the-"

"You'll be quiet and let her speak immediately," Orin threatened, completely exhausted of hearing this.

After a long moment, Mera cleared her throat and began. "Council, I know that you and the King are in disagreement about what to do with the child here. But I believe I have discovered a solution that will benefit everyone as a whole.

"I understand that the child cannot stay in the palace because of the impact it could have on his reputation." Orin wanted to argue this point, but she understood what Mera's game plan was now. "But I feel connected to the child. I lost my parents for different reasons at a young age: I know what it's like to never have known them."

Savenna swam forward, nervous but determined. "We suggest that Naruto grow up in the Conservatory of Sorcery under my tutelage. The mages can keep a close eye on him and his development. I wish to take care of him."

Orin was so proud of the two of them in that moment. Savenna was a great person and a good mother figure, and Mera would be close by. And if Mera was close by, then Orin would be as well. There were no downsides to this arrangement at all, but the Elders seemed skeptical.

"Would you like to see the baby?" asked Mera, a sudden idea catching their attention. Orin was glad for it; he could remove them from the council if any of the Elders had Purist tendencies. It didn't take long for one of them to agree, and Mera swam over to them and presented the baby to the old man. Orin was watching carefully, prepared to move in case something went wrong, but the Elder held the boy in his arms, his smile growing.

Orin witnessed several disapproving looks from four of the twelve-member council, but eventually, they relented. All twelve of the Elders were considered "pure" by Purist standards, and Orin knew it would be a good idea to select some "impure" men for the council.

"Fine. We will accept your proposal," the head of the Elders said, "but on the condition that if anything odd or demonic happens to him, he will be exiled from Atlantis." The other members agreed. Orin nodded once, but not more, showing that he didn't think that was necessarily reasonable, but it wasn't unreasonable either. From all the time he'd spent with the boy, everything seemed perfectly normal.

Mera bowed once, holding the baby closer to her chest before sharing a glance with Savenna, her personal instructor at the Conservatory. The kind woman grinned and bowed as well, before the two of them left the room.

Orin turned back to the Elders. "This meeting was a farce. I'm glad you gave him a good outcome, but I do not understand your attitude. The Conservatory will take good care of him, and will watch him grow to ensure he becomes an excellent citizen of Atlantis." He turned to walk away, but as he did, another thought ran through his head. "The respect you have shown to the crown my father and my mother shared for nearly two decades is appalling. I ought to destroy the Elder council; it's an antiquated system anyway."

And with that, he left, refusing to hear any more of their comments.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
OCTOBER 11, 13:46 UTC-2  
FOURTEEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Orin followed Mera to the Conservatory of Sorcery after the meeting, and they spent the next few hours playing with Naruto and catching up with Savenna. They greeted the king well, and the Conservatory itself seemed accepting of the arrangement.

"Look at those teeth!" shouted Nanaue, prince of the city state Nanauve, looking at the boy's shark-like teeth while he was crying. "I have a feeling that I'm going to like this kid."

Orin clapped the other man on the shoulder, half afraid the man would try to bite it off. He didn't have a great track record with Prince Sha'ark, but the man was unusually fast. "Of course. What's not to like?"

The prince's expression went dark. "Words travel fast. They say he's a demon."

"Words are exaggerated," Mera defended, stepping up to them. Orin had to smile at her brazenness. "He's not a minion of Hades. I'm sure if we did a prayer to ask him, he'd answer with, 'If I had sent a demonic baby into your city, don't you think I'd have boasted about it by now?'"

Orin and the prince laughed, before the man left to go prepare for a sparring session with one of the other students. Savenna returned after a moment, joining them. "I've set up a bed in my room for him to sleep in until he's old enough for another room. The bed is portable, so you and I can share him from night to night. Hopefully that will keep our sanity intact." She seemed positively glowing at the arrangement, and Mera was as happy for her as anyone else.

Orin laughed. "I promise to watch over him as well, when I can. You two aren't alone in this."

The two students nodded, before Mera leaned down to nuzzle the baby's nose. "Of course not. I expect you to be here a lot. Maybe taking care of Naruto will help you get your duties done faster. After all, how can you spend time away from this little guy?"

Orin had to hope that she was right; he made a mental note to ensure he was never behind on paperwork or other responsibilities, so that he could spend time with Naruto.


	2. Winds of Change

**POSIEDONIS**   
**DECEMBER 21, 10:16 UTC-2**   
**TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO**

Orin sighed as he put down the missive from the king of Lemuria, explaining their crops were endangered. He'd have to respond with a shipment of their own and enough drachmas to make up for the losses, and it was not an uncommon issue. The humans, or the air-breathers as they were "affectionately" called, had caused these problems in spits and starts since Atlantis was created, but it had grown more frequent in recent years. No king in Atlantis' history, from any of the city-states, had to handle this much pollution, and it was taxing on their magic to respond to it.

He was already considering ways to respond to these issues, and his friends had some interesting ideas, not the least of which was human genocide. Orm had responded in an interesting way to that idea, but Orin knew they were all kidding. He knew Orm would never seriously suggest that, but he wouldn't put it past some of the other kings to respond that way, whether they followed Orin's rules or not. Nanaue was a hothead, but even _he_  wouldn't respond that way.

Mera had suggested something only a few weeks ago, partly in jest, but it made a lot of sense. Perhaps the humans merely needed awareness that there were people living underwater. A person to become a liaison for the peoples of Atlantis to the world above them, to explain that their rapid industrialization had been harming an entire culture. It would be a peaceful model, but perhaps effective if they tried to follow through. Would it work fast enough to solve their problems, however?

He could hear the celebration from behind his desk, looking up just the light show flickered high over the palace. Three life-size golden whales spun around and around each other, chasing each other before a real whale crashed through them, bursting them into sparkles. Orin smiled when he saw one of the Conservatory mages riding the whale, as it danced in the water and then vanished. He could feel the whale's happy thoughts from behind his desk.

This had been going on since the solstice began a few hours ago, but he was too behind on his duties.

"Sir, you have a visitor," his guard explained. "He's snuck into the palace again. Should I escort him out?" Orin looked up and waved them in, glad for the distraction. When a tiny little toddler entered the room, dressed in an orange and green suit modeled after his own, Orin smiled. The boy responded with a toothy grin, and the king could only laugh.

"What in the gods are you wearing?"

The boy looked down at his uniform and gave him a thumbs-up. "I'm wearing what you're wearing!"

The king could only laugh. "Of course. I can see that. Where's Mera and Savenna? You didn't run off from them again, did you?"

He looked defensive. "No! I just came to get you. Did you see the whales?!"

Orin chuckled. "Yeah they were really great, weren't they?" The king wanted to tell the boy to go back outside, but he realized he could use a break. After a small moment, he shut the door and followed the rambunctious boy outside and to join the festival.

"Now, Naruto, how many times have I told you not to come to the palace alone? And to sneak inside?" he tried to make his tone light to make the boy not feel so bad about the situation, but this was the fifth or sixth time in the past three months. Orin still didn't know where the boy had managed to get inside from.

Naruto swam ahead in circles, spinning and turning and having a blast. On the third loop around, Orin reached out and grabbed the boy to hold him in place, to force him to answer the question. "Well... I know you've said that, Orin, but I can't help it! I just wanted to see you, and I could tell Mera did too! She looked too sad on a day like this."

Orin frowned as they passed a row of dome-shaped homes, many of which were enjoying themselves. A school of fish swam by, mentally chattering about the festival, and the king merely smiled.

Of course, Naruto would cut to the middle of his worries; he was a weirdly perceptive child. The king's relationship with the love of his life was... rocky, as of late. She understood how important his work was to him, but still wished he had more time for her. But the boy was right; on this festival day, he should have ignored his work.

When the seventeen-year-old redhead finally came into view, standing on the roof of the Conservatory, she had a gleam in her eye. Savenna sat next to her, lounging as another light show was about to begin. Orin approached but the girl ran over and embraced him, smiling.

"Good job, Naruto! I knew I could count on you," she said, grasping his hand carefully. The boy returned to sit next to Savenna, shouting something Orin couldn't hear about seahorses.

"So he didn't actually sneak away from you?"

Mera chuckled. "Who do you take me for?"

Orin just smiled as they took their seats, waiting for the next show to begin. "Did you have something to do with what the boy is wearing?"

Mera just laughed. "No, that was all his idea."

Savenna snickered. "I made it for him."

Orin just smiled, but the boy's mimicry of him was a little disconcerting. He tried not let his face betray that emotion, but he assumed Mera could figure out where he was coming from.

The light shows were tests for some of the younger students, and the annual celebration of the Winter Solstice was the perfect opportunity to show off their budding skills. One of them was about to begin.

"Have you already participated?

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm up next." The beautiful girl swam up from her seat, exciting Naruto that it was finally her time to shine. Orin tried to ignore the looks of adoration he was getting as the King, but they didn't seem to want to approach him. He wished he didn't know the reason why, but it was very clear.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
DECEMBER 21, 12:32 UTC-2  
TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

"And then you made the seahorses fly so close to the buildings, I thought they were going to crash into them!" Naruto beamed, so proud of Mera. The woman just nodded along, a smile on her face; he loved to see her smile.

They were sitting in a small restaurant for lunch, the tables resembling open clams. There were several other people in the room, but most sat away from them. Savenna was next to him and Mera across from them, listening to his retelling of Mera's awesome spell work.

"When am I going to be able to learn spells like those?" It was not the first time he had demanded an answer to that question, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. "I want to start my training now."

Savenna looked down at him. "You need to focus on your general studies first, little one. Most people do not begin their studies at the Conservatory until they are much older."

"How much older?" he asked.

Mera smiled. "I didn't begin until I was ten, but I started early. Some don't begin until they are fourteen."

Naruto hated hearing that, but they had shared that with him several times. "I'm not waiting ten years to do all kinds of cool spells and enchantments. I want to be as awesome as you both are!"

Savenna was happy to hear that. People didn't acknowledge her skills often enough; she was apparently one of the least powerful instructors at the Conservatory, and focused on general education first. Because of that, other people his age tended to overlook her and praise all the powerful sorcerers and mages.

"You'll start when you're ready. It's gonna take a lot of hard work, Naruto," Mera said with a smile.

He frowned. "I wish Orin was here. He'd let me start now."

Mera and Savenna shared a glance, but did not comment on it. "He had to return to the palace after my show," Mera finally explained.

They finally brought their food, and Naruto was so glad that they served his favorite here: boiled wakame. He pulled the green noodles into his mouth, enjoying the taste and chomping into them with his rough teeth. He had to admit, he wished there was some meat, but Orin wasn't here, so he doubted he would get any. The two women at the table were strict vegetarians.

As he continued to eat, Mera recounted her studies and Savenna told stories of her classes, but Naruto was lost in thought. He looked around at the people around them, most of them ignoring him. One girl caught his glance, a redhead with short hair and a yellow outfit, but she looked back and whispered something. The girl's mother and father got up almost immediately, leaving their unfinished bowls and a stack of drachmas to pay for it. The coins glinted in the light as the girl and her family left, and Naruto frowned.

"Don't take it personally," Savenna said, having noticed the display. "They just don't like people who look different." The woman pointed down, her tail covering a lot of the seat.

"Why me though? I don't look that different. I just have some weird teeth," he said, and then raised his arms, showing the scaly fins sticking outward from them. "And a couple fins. There are plenty of people like me around."

Mera glanced at him concernedly. "But they were the majority for centuries. People who look like you have become increasingly common in the last few decades, and people don't like what they don't understand."

"Well how come you're so understanding?" asked Naruto. "Aren't you one of them?"

Mera smiled. "Because I love you just the way you are."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
DECEMBER 22, 2:34 UTC-2  
TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto couldn't sleep, too many memories of dancing water images in his head. Mera had been so great, and he couldn't possibly sleep after that.

The festival had died down eventually, but if he focused hard enough, he could hear the loud music of parties. He got out of bed and kicked off, swimming through the Conservatory as carefully as he dared, trying to be both fast and silent. He'd gotten quite good at it, but he probably could have accomplished the same feat by walking swiftly.

Naruto hated walking. It seemed like such a waste of all the amazing swimming they could be doing. Orin didn't like to walk either, so he felt justified in swimming everywhere he went.

The Conservatory was dark, lit only by the specialized coral that lined the walls. He didn't understand how it worked, personally, but it was the same stuff that powered the tattoos he desperately wished he could get. Mera wouldn't let him, and he hated that.

When he found the library, the door was unlocked. He slipped inside, hoping to find something he could use. The empty library was quiet, but almost too quiet. He wasn't a huge fan of reading; his English lessons were some of his least favorite, but he'd picked up conversational English relatively easily. When he and Orin were together, he liked to speak to him in his incredibly broken English and pretend they were speaking in code around other people.

When he found the section of books he was looking for, he forced himself to the ground and walked down the aisle, smiling. He found the thickest book he could manage, hoping that meant it would have more awesome secret techniques. He swam up to that shelf and lifted the red book from the bookcase, the heavy tome enough to weigh him down. He sat down in a hurry and plopped the book on the ground, the spine of the book reading "Kordax."

He had no idea what that meant, so he quickly ignored it and settled into reading some of the first pages. It was supposed to be in the instructional section of the library, so he was sure he would find something amazing that he could use.

Flipping through the heavy pages, he recognized the tiny symbols that adorned each page. Savenna always said that was the enchantment that they used to protect paper from being ruined, although most paper came from refined kelp these days, and that was only for poor people.

When he found what looked like a spell, he read the incantation silently to himself, wanting to make sure he had it down before he invoked it. The incantations were training wheels for sorcery, and he definitely needed it.

The second he invoked it aloud, he was thrown backwards as the room suddenly exploded with blue light. A wall of power slammed into him hard, made of what looked like a mass of uncoordinated bubbles, swirling around the room. In what could only be described as wind suddenly appearing in the middle of water, Naruto was suddenly aware that he had done something powerful.

When the now exhausted four-year-old cleared his senses, panting and peeling himself off of the wall, he saw what a mess it had made. When the swirling wind had appeared out of nowhere, every bit of water in the room had been powerfully displaced, like a giant splash on the surface. Books and papers floated across the room, disturbing the enchantments that held them to the shelves until someone picked them up. The spellbook he had picked up had slid across the floor, now floating freely near the closed doorway.

Naruto peeked upward, and there was a very large bubble across the ceiling, where the wind he had created out of nothing was forced to stay because it couldn't escape. Naruto realized that he had increased the pressure of the entire library, because it was difficult to swim upward. When he managed to reach the ceiling, he moved his head into the bubble and took a breath through his nose, just for kicks.

"So that's what the surface is like?" he asked suddenly, smiling as one of his greatest questions had finally be answered.

He dropped down into the room once more, realizing with terror that he had caused the mess, but he didn't know how to clean it up. He didn't know what it would take to put the books back on the shelves or the spells he would need to make them stay where they were supposed to be. All of this was so, so wrong.

"Naruto!" someone shouted as the door opened, immediately causing a rush of water and air to flood out of the room. He swam down in time to see Mera staring at the huge air bubble flowing out of the library's door, the pressurized room losing its pressure and returning to normal. "What did you do?"

He swam toward the door in shame. "I didn't mean to! I just wanted to learn magic!" He looked down and picked up the book where he had learned the spell, pointing. "I said one out of this one." She tore it from his fingertips.

The woman's eyes went wide with worry when she recognized the script, but by now, other people in the Conservatory were waking. "We have to hide this." He wanted to ask her why, but she shushed him, disappearing into the room as quickly as she could and placing the book among the others. "Come on and help me."

He followed her and found the bubble, which had settled on the surface of the transparent dome above. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you later," she said quickly, gesturing to the bubble and shining her tentacle-like tattoos. The bubble glowed with purple light, and bit by bit, it shrank until there was no sign the bubble was there at all.

"What did you do?"

"I used a spell to assimilate the air into the water," she explained. "It doesn't matter though. We need to get back and help them clean up. They're going to find it soon enough, and the faster we start cleaning up, the faster they won't punish us."

Naruto nodded and followed her swiftly. By the time they got there, a few others were arriving. The sound of the water pressure colliding against the door had woken most people up, and no one looked happy about it.

"We had a training accident," she said, covering for him. "Naruto wanted to come along, and I accidently used a spell I couldn't handle. But I'm going to help get everything back where it goes, I promise." She reached out and grabbed a book that had free-floated out of the room nervously.

"A training accident in the middle of the night?" asked one of the older instructors. "You will be reprimanded for this, and for bringing him along." Naruto didn't feel any venom in his words, but the message was clear. She was going to take the fall for his mistake, and he felt awful about it.

Hours of headache later, and they finally finished the restocking, thanks the angry librarians' help of tracking down the books. Naruto made sure to remember the location of the Kordax book, in case he needed it later.

"I can't believe what you did," she said automatically the moment she shut the door to her room. Naruto couldn't remove the crestfallen look on his face if he tried.

"I'm sorr-"

"No, really. I can't believe it," she said, as though correcting him. "I would be amazed if I wasn't so angry. You cast a spell without a single tattoo, and it was  _wind_ magic. Most people can't use wind magic. I personally don't know of anyone who can." She went through the specifics behind how it worked, vaporizing the water in a given area instantly and then controlling the air content created, but he didn't really know what it meant.

He tried to feel proud by his apparently amazing accomplishment, but he couldn't. She switched from awe to anger very quickly, and rightfully so, and made sure that he was suitably punished. "No wakame for three weeks. And you're going to make sure your room is clean." He protested, but she shook her head. "No buts. I can't believe you went against what I said."

"But you never told me that I couldn't try to learn magic. You just said I was too young to."

She raised an eyebrow. "Okay, smartass." She frowned at her usage of the word and then shook it off. "Four weeks without wakame."

He groaned and accepted his punishment, before heading back to his room. Even as he did, he reciting the words of the odd spell in his mind, knowing he would remember it, whether she wanted him to or not. He swam around his free-floating dirty clothing, before remembering his punishment and grabbing it to be washed.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
DECEMBER 22, 14:53 UTC-2  
TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

"It's truly unbelievable," Mera said to her boyfriend, the king of the entire country. She was standing in his bedroom, the only place where he wouldn't have guards posted watching his every move. She had made sure to speak to him there, because this was horrible news that needed to be discussed. "It's odd enough that it was wind magic. On top of that, he didn't have the simplest level of tattoos to harness his magic. He shouldn't have been able to cast it at all."

She could see the gears turning in his face, running a hand over his newly-grown beard. "I wish I knew more about sorcery. But what did you say the title of the book was?"

"Kordax," she said with a frown; she knew as much as he did what that meant. "He's blonde, he's part fish, and he can harness wind magic. That's a dangerous combination in Atlantis."

Mera considered what she knew about Kordax. The ancient blonde king who conquered the Seven Seas and united them with his powerful wind sorcery, and the same man who nearly tore all of that success away by murdering his brother. The verdict was out on whether or not the man had been a "pure" Atlantean. But this was all terrifying to imagine.

"I know. I faced the same challenge early on just for having blonde hair," he said. "This must have played into why the Elders hating Naruto from the get go, regardless of whether or not he remained demonic."

Mera understood that very well. Years ago, before the previous king and queen had even died, the Elders had threatened to make Prince Orm the next in line instead, when he had been born with brown hair. Orin's parents refused to let hair color define their legacy, and the line of succession was not changed because of what could only be a superstition.

"He could be cursed by the gods."

She stared at Orin's face, filled with concern and worry. "No."

"He could be," he said. "And we wouldn't even know it."

The next obvious question ran to her mind, but it was such a stupid idea that she didn't voice it. If this precious little boy from another world was cursed for something he couldn't control, then she couldn't bear to allow it. She had to know for sure.

"We have to ask them."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
DECEMBER 22, 17:16 UTC-2  
TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto awoke from his afternoon nap with a knock on the door. He didn't feel like talking, but the familiar brown-haired teenager walked into the room anyway. "Hello, Prince Orm."

"Hello, Naruto. Why isn't my riding buddy up and ready? You're fifteen minutes late already."

Naruto suddenly remembered that it was usual day to go riding with Orm, but he wasn't sure if he would be allowed to go. Savenna was teaching a class at the moment, and Mera had been with Orin for hours. After a long moment, he stood up and wrote a note, leaving it on his pillow for anyone to see it.

"All right, let's go."

"That's the spirit!" the man said, kicking off the ground to swim, and Naruto excitedly followed him. They had always turned it into a kind of race between them, but Orm always won. Even so, Naruto was determined to catch up to him, swimming as hard as he could out of the Conservatory and into the open sea, turning toward the stables.

After a few minutes, he stopped trying and Orm noticed quickly. "What's up with you today? You usually have so much energy."

He frowned. "Mera won't let me talk about it to anyone."

"Really? Surely you can tell me."

He shook his head, knowing that he wouldn't disobey her again. That was what got him into trouble last time, and he didn't want to deal with so many more weeks without wakame.

They arrived at the stables, and already, Naruto's mood perked up when he felt the familiar presence of Hippothoon on his mind. As soon as he entered the stable with the escort of the prince, he swam hurriedly up to his stable, sending good telepathic vibes.

Hippothoon was a hippocampus, a creature that had the hindquarters of a dolphin and the head and torso of a seahorse. They were primarily white with brilliant multicolored-scales, almost glimmering in the light. Whenever Naruto was around, Hippothoon predominantly shimmered with orange light, a reflection of his usual colors. He ran a hand along its snout, and every time he was around it, it was like he had never been more happy. He wished the animal could form actual thoughts, but he could sense its emotions, and Hippothoon felt the same way about him.

"Hey buddy, I'm so glad you're feeling awesome!" he cooed to the creature, who seemed to both mentally and physically smile back. Orm looked over at him curiously.

"I'll never understand how you are able to do that," the prince said with a hint of jealousy.

"I'm not as good as Orin. I can't send pure thoughts like he can," Naruto replied.

The prince saddled his own hippocampus. "But still, to have the skill is a worthy talent."

Naruto picked up his own saddle, but as he tried to put it on, one of the latches wouldn't latch. Orm must have seen his frustration. "Oh, let me help you with that."

Once all the preparations were complete, Orm and Naruto rode their separate hippocampi out of the stables, moving incredibly fast. It was as though riding on Hippothoon stripped away all of his worries and made him feel so, so good.

It was a common custom for Atlanteans to learn how to ride these from an early age, although no one was able to do it as well as those who could make telepathic contact. Most people he talked to were the same as Orm was, unable to send any impressions at all. It made riding much easier for him, despite how young he was.

"Wanna race?" Orm said, and Naruto felt a positive response from his hippocampus. In a single nod, the two animals raced forward, moving through the water as fast as they could go.

They did tricks and moved high and moved low, all trying to get past the other. Naruto pulled ahead thanks to a rocky shelf-face they swung by quickly, cutting off the prince who merely smirked and poured on the speed.

He closed in on Naruto again, but the boy suddenly dove down and skirted so low to the ground that Hippothoon's tail nearly slapped the bottom of the ocean floor. He laughed and pulled up, angling away from the reef that was beginning to form below, passing by several coral farmers as they went. Orm shot by somehow, and Naruto frowned.

Pushing positive impressions with his mind, Hippothoon responded accordingly, and in one swift kick of his tail, they were neck and neck. Naruto tucked himself closer into the animal's neck, hoping to gain more speed, but as he looked down, he realized something was wrong.

The latch that hadn't been working earlier was hanging by a thread. He reached down haphazardly and tried to grab it, to hold the saddle in place, but Hippothoon lurched one too many times, and the entire saddle flew off.

"Naruto!" shouted Orm as the blonde kid was tumbling through the water, moving far too fast toward the ocean floor below them to recover.

Doing the only thing he could think of, he held out his hands to brace his impact and shouted,  **"Pnuema peristrofí!"**

A blast of blue light enveloped his vision, and a spinning vortex of wind suddenly sparked to life. He was slapped by the pressure change of wind and water mixing, hard enough that the wind cushioned his fall. He landed hard on the ground, and the last thing he saw were bubbles swarming his vision and the shocked face of Prince Orm on his hippocampus, far above him.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
DECEMBER 23, 19:16 UTC-2  
TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

The second Orm entered the room with Orin at his side and no Naruto in sight, Mera and Savenna's heart sank. "There's been an accident," Orm declared softly. "Naruto is already at the hospital now, but he's not doing well."

The two women moved frantically, upset and temperamental. Mera asked near constant questions on the way, trying to get the whole story, and the minute that she knew all the details, she turned on the prince. "You should have made sure his saddle was safe!"

"I double-checked it!" he shouted. "I would never let him get hurt! He must have pushed Hippothoon too hard, and the saddle came loose."

Mera just ignored him, despite Orin's soft look to make sure she'd calm down. The concern was evident on his face, and she was already considering their earlier conversation.

"Will he be okay?" asked Savenna.

"They don't know yet," the king replied. "They mentioned something about a possibility of brain damage, but-" Mera couldn't contain the slight whimper at the sound of that, "it's rare for an injury like that."

Orm glanced at Mera. "It should have been worse, given how fast and how low we were. We should be lucky he's alive."

Mera wanted to hit the man for trusting him to keep Naruto safe, but also hit herself for allowing him that opportunity. The prince was just a dumb kid who was too self-absorbed to watch a child, but Orin never agreed with that.

It didn't take very long for the four of them to arrive at the room where Naruto was being held. The fact that Orin was there made this trip much easier than intended, and the second that she found the unconscious boy lying in a bed, a nurse applying nutrient-rich water with sorcery, she was just so terrified.

"Do you have any idea when he'll wake up?"

The nurse frowned and shook her head. "It could be hours. It could be a few days. His body has to attempt to heal first, before we can make any major decisions. The potential brain damage that the doctor saw earlier has already disappeared, so he should be fine. He's got two broken ribs on the left side," the nurse pointed to his left arm, which was bandaged heavily, "and his fin snapped. It's going to take a long time for him to recover, but he's not in any life-threatening danger."

The calm that settled over the room was almost immediate, but after a few minutes, Mera glanced at Orin. "Can I have a moment alone with you, King Orin?"

Everyone took the message and left, leaving the two of them alone with Naruto's unconscious form.

"Did Orm tell you?"

She paused with what she was going to say. "Tell me what?"

"The boy repeated that spell and it saved his life," Orin explained. "It's the only reason he's alive, but he swore not to tell anyone, even the doctor."

Her heart sunk, but a small part of her was proud of him. The boy she considered... her son. She was going to do everything in her power to protect him.

"You're right," Orin said after a long moment of silence. "We have to know. If he carries the Curse of Kordax, then moments like this will continue to happen, and we need to know how to keep him safe if it's true." The king presented her with an old coin and a small scroll. "Put these away on your person. They'll let you get in. As soon as Naruto wakes up, the two of you are heading there."

"Would it even make sense for him to come? Last I checked, you're kind isn't allowed there."

Orin could only frown. "It's the only option we have. They need to see him. We can't keep having things like this happen, and perhaps they can know more about him if the gods see what they wrought."


	3. Foreboding Isle

**MEDITERRANEAN SEA**  
JANUARY 8, 11:22 UTC+2  
NINE YEARS UNTIL TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto stirred awake suddenly. An incredibly bright light surrounded him, brighter than the brightest he had ever seen.  _Am I still dreaming?_  It warmed his skin, skin that seemed too dry... Air flowed in and out of his nose and mouth, the gills on his shoulders lightly shaking without water. Tiny spurts of water hit him like mist, but it was not enough to feel remotely normal.

He let his senses clear, realizing he was sitting on the back of Hippothoon. The hippocampus sent tiny, primitive thoughts of concern to his mind, but the boy was too groggy to return them. His feet were submerged in water, but most of his body was above the surface. The clouds seemed far too bright, the sun shining down on his skin and bringing him too much warmth. Compared to the cool ocean water, it was slightly jarring.

"I have a cloak for you to use, if the sun is bothering you," the familiar voice said. He realized he was sitting in front of Mera on Hippothoon's back, as the ocean steed leisurely headed through odd territory. The open ocean was vast, and he couldn't see any land anywhere around them.

He nodded lightly as Mera reached into her pack, before draping his sensitive skin in the dark fabric. "How come it doesn't bother you?"

She chuckled. "This isn't my first time to travel to the surface, like it is yours." She wrapped her arms around him carefully, smiling. "The sun won't bother you after a few hours, and you'll get used to it sooner every time you come out of the water."

Naruto was thankful. He knew the stories of Atlanteans heading into the surface, but they were mostly legends. To hear from Mera that the experience was not actually uncommon demystified the experience.

"Where are we?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head. "What are we doing?"

Mera sighed slightly. "We are currently a few kilometers from where we are headed, all thanks to Hippothoon. He's done a great job so far." She lightly stroked the back of his scaly head, which the animal greatly appreciated.

"He's awesome, isn't he?"

"That he is. You know, I never approved of Orin buying him for you, but when I went to the stables, he was the only one who would let me approach. I wish I could get inside his head to understand why."

Naruto laughed. "Yeah, he's picky." At the mention of the stables, he remembered what had happened, but some of the details weren't there. He looked down, just to check to see that the saddle was latched correctly. He would hate to have something like that happen again.

"Don't worry, it's safe." There was a venom in her voice that he knew wasn't aimed at him, but he hoped it wasn't aimed at anyone else. It wasn't anyone's fault that the saddle broke. "I'm glad _you're_  safe."

He smiled, bending his head to look up at her motherly face. He felt content, practically in her arms and covered by her cloak. The only thing that would make this experience better would be if Savenna and Orin were close by.

"We are heading to consult the gods," she explained, to Naruto's surprise.

"Why are we going up here to pray? Wouldn't it have been easier to go to the temple like we always do?"

Mera frowned. "Yes, it would have been easier. But we wouldn't have gotten a direct answer."

He considered that for a moment, but he didn't really understand what she was saying. He'd always prayed and felt like they answered his prayers. Poseidon and the other gods worked in mysterious ways, after all. Savenna always told him that sometimes he didn't truly need something, like the time when he prayed for the gods to change his eye color.

"There's a place where we can talk to them directly, face to face so to speak," she explained. "We need to ask them about you."

Naruto stared ahead, confused. He didn't like the sound of her voice, like she was worried- no, she was scared.  _Why is she scared of me?_ "But why me, Mera? What do the gods know?"

The woman gripped his shoulder. "There's nothing to worry about right now. You just need to be prepared. It's not a friendly place for boys like you, but don't take anything they say personally."

Naruto wondered where they were going that would have such a problem with boys.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
JANUARY 8, 11:27 UTC-2  
TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Orin stepped into the Atlantean Science Center, hoping to understand what was going on. Orm was right behind him, pestering him about the reason for their visit. The king sighed and passed through the door, waving to the workers who greeted him with a bow.

He really disliked the formality; he felt like a teenager, not a king. It still bothered him to see the people bowing to him, but Orm seemed to take it in stride and return the gesture with all the formality he could muster. The older brother suppressed a grin.

"So why are we here to see him?"

"Must you be so impatient, brother?" Orin said with a smile, before turning the corner and heading into the lab of the Chief Science Advisor, Vulko. The king surveyed the large round room, wishing he knew what any of the gadgets and machines could function. A combination of surface technology, Atlantean technology, and sorcery made it all work, but that was all he knew. The bearded scientist turned his head at their arrival, before rushing over and awkwardly bowing.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you! Thank you for responding to my summons so quickly."

"Well, you said it was urgent. What's going on?"

"Is something wrong, Vulko?" asked Orm.

The scientist shook his head. "No, my prince. Quite the opposite." He ushered them over to the table, and the king showed him the petri dish. A tiny crimson and orange substance sat there, but Orin recognized it quite easily.

"It's the crystal." Orm shot a look at him, but Orin didn't explain any more about it.

"A cheap replica, actually," the man explained, before throwing several pages of data at him. The king had no idea how to read any of it, but Orm demanded to see it. "It holds nowhere near the same energy content that the crystal contained, and this is as much as I could make without more funding."

The king frowned at the insinuation, but was prepared to allocate resources to Vulko's lab if this would help Atlantis as a whole. "Start from the beginning, please."

Vulko nodded. "I spent weeks- no, months analyzing the properties of the crystal when Naruto arrived, but I couldn't understand it completely. I hit a dead end for years and moved onto other projects. But someone suggested something a few months ago, and I've been working on this independently ever since.

"The crystal is a radioactive organic solid, but because of its origins, it doesn't seem to match any known properties. The elements are the same, but their shapes and compositions differ ever so slightly." He pointed to a picture of its shape on a microscopic level. "It appears to be alive, sir."

Orin nodded in understanding, but his brother was captivated and confused. "Does this have to do with the demon?" the younger teen whispered.

"It's possible," Vulko explained. "I assume that is the case, but assumptions are not scientific. The important thing to know about the crystal is that it is filled to the brim with energy molecules loosely compacted into cells with minuscule nuclei. But these energy molecules are supposed to be theoretical, not actual; they do not rely on the adenosine triphosphate complex."

"But that's impossible," Orm explained, understanding a bit more than Orin did; his brother was the one with the brains, after all. "All living things rely on energy produced by ATP. It can't be alive then."

"By our understanding of what life is, it cannot," Vulko said, rubbing a hand through his beard; the very idea of what he was talking about excited him. "But this crystal comes from another world, where the same rules may not apply. Let me show you this."

He swam quickly over to his desk and pulled a file, rifling through it and pulling the viable information. "The hospital wouldn't have known what to look for, but I did. Look at this."

Orin was handed a sheet of paper, including a spot analysis of someone's blood and the nutrients contained within. He peeked at the top of the paper and audibly gasped, offended. "Why do you have Naruto's blood records?"

Vulko frowned. "I did not mean to upset you, my king. I merely had to be sure. But don't you see?! You'll be glad that I did." He took the page and pointed to another microscopic image of the crystal. "Trace amounts of the same kind of energy molecules found in the substance were also found in Naruto's blood, and compared to other Atlantean and human blood samples, he is the only one who contains it."

Orin supposed it made sense, but it was troubling information. Naruto was from another world or dimension, as was the Kyuubi that had protected him through his journey, and the two of them were powered by an unknown energy source. What concerned him more was the idea that the Kyuubi might still be inside of his body, influencing him, if the demon had the same kind of energy flowing through him. The king wished he could easily contact Mera and add another thing to the list of things to ask them, but he would have to settle.

"However, he also uses ATP, and it is the primary source of energy within his body," explained Vulko. "Still, even so, the boy has always been active and never seems to get exhausted easily. I think this is the reason; he has some kind of second source of energy within his body."

Orm handed back whatever research he had in his hands. "Does that mean the crystal is still in his body or affecting him?"

The scientist shook his head. "No. The naturally-occurring crystal was destroyed, too radioactive for a long half-life." He gestured to the small portion of crystal he had built. "Thanks to Naruto's blood content and the data I had before, I was able to reverse-engineer a crystallized group of cells with similar properties, but with only a tiny amount of energy. The same kind of molecule is difficult to create so I had to use our inefficient by comparison ATP, but I assure you that I can keep trying."

"You just need money," Orin concluded. "I don't see how this can go wrong, so I will grant your request. Harnessing this power could prove useful. But I warn you not to let this go to your head, Vulko."

"If you can successfully recreate this, you'll have created a form of life," Orm said. His wide eyes were mystified by the idea. "A strange one we'll probably never understand, but a life nonetheless."

* * *

 **AEGEAN SEA**  
JANUARY 8, 16:49 UTC+2  
TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

The second Mera found the general area of the island, she was almost sure that she had steered them past it. Atlantis didn't deal with them very often, due to a strict difference in ideals, but this situation required it.

When she saw the multi-colored mist, her eyes trained to see mystical disturbances, she knew she had discovered it. The shimmering fog, dancing between colors every time she focused on any one color, covered every inch of the island and a perimeter a few kilometers away from it, but she was sure she had found it. The magic was imbued with the goddess of the rainbow, Iris, and served as a boundary between the mortal world and the island beyond.

Some small part of her was jealous that they had such a powerful connection with the gods, but Atlantis didn't. The undersea kingdom relied on their own sorcery, so perhaps that was the problem.

She halted Hippothoon, much to Naruto's surprise. Their steed seemed surprised and squeaked out a cry, and the boy laughed like he was talking to a friend.  _Orin and Naruto share a lot in common_ , she realized.

"Why did we stop, Mera?"

She fished out the drachma, the ancient Atlantean coin, from her robe. "Because we're here. Chances are, they are already watching the boundary in front of us. You need to be prepared, because I don't know what's going to happen the second I throw this coin."

He looked at her incredulously. "What do you mean?"

She grinned and gripped his shoulder with one hand. "Just watch." She hurled the coin into the boundary, and for a split second, she worried that it hadn't worked. But a space before her shimmered with golden light, before expanding into a shape that resembled the Greek letter "alpha." The protective mist fell away inside that shape, and Naruto was in awe.

"That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen."

She laughed at his use of English, wishing she knew more of it than she did. Hippothoon crossed the barrier and the coin immediately vanished, as did the barrier. She assumed that it was sent to Iris as payment, but she wouldn't be surprised if it was rigged to go into the vaults on the island.

Paradise Island itself was a beautiful sight. Everything beyond the barrier seemed cleaner, the air crisper, the sunlight brighter, as though nature was in perfect harmony. Surrounding the island were six giant statues of the six female Olympian gods, equidistant from each other and running along the perimeter of the island. Each of them held one arm up and one arm out, touching the edge of the barrier with each hand. She couldn't see it from where she was, but she knew the center of the island held another statue, this time of Hestia, the goddess of the hearth. Mera herself was as awed as Naruto was at the sight.

"What is this place?"

As though to answer his question, a dark-haired woman dressed in a brilliant white dress flew towards Naruto and Mera, causing the hippocampus to cower lightly in fear. The blue-eyed woman drifted down to oppose her, a brilliant falchion blade glinting in the sunlight and pointed directly at the blonde boy wrapped in a cloak.

"Who are you to have come to Themiscyra, of all places, with a man?"

Naruto practically gripped Mera's thigh as though it was the only thing protecting him. Mera wondered if that was actually the case. Certainly if the boy had found his way here all alone, somehow, he would have been skinned alive and offered as a sacrifice.

"Princess Diana, my name is Mera, and I have come here by royal Atlantean decree of King Orin, the Lord of the Seven Seas and ruler of Poseidonis," she said as formally as she could muster. The woman before her was known worldwide by many names, and she would never be powerful enough to challenge this woman. She truly had the right to be called Wonder Woman. Mera reached into her pocket, causing the princess to flinch, before bringing up the scroll with the royal seal.

Diana approached carefully, her sword never leaving her hand, and took it from her, very confident in her power but not wanting to provoke a fight. Mera filed that information read from her body language into her mind, in case it became relevant.

"You're very pretty," Naruto said with a toothy grin, and the woman just stared at him. "And that sword is awesome."

Mera wanted to make him shut up, but perhaps the woman before her could be flattered. Naruto was only a child after all, so surely she would understand the outburst to be from ignorance, not stupidity.

The woman finished her reading of the contents of the scroll, before locking eyes with the boy, and then with Mera. "Come with me. I understand your plight, perhaps better than my mother will. She will not forgive you for bringing the boy to the island easily, but the suggestion in the scroll will perhaps suffice."

Mera nodded, but hoped she would not have to use it. The Queen of the Amazons was not known for her mercy, so she would likely take them up on their offer, if only to avoid killing him for coming anywhere near the island.

Naruto and Mera spurred Hippothoon forward until they approached the island's beaches, where several Amazonian soldiers had assembled diligently, dressed from head to toe with armor. Some wore battle skirts and ancient helmets, all holding spears. Some were also archers and others swordsmen, but all were looking pointedly at her and the boy, as though their presence were a huge offense.

"How dare you bring a man onto the island?!" shouted a redhead near the front of the ten-person force, a scar running along her cheek, her hair sticking out from the back of her helmet in a ponytail.

"Quiet, Artemis," Diana said, earning a wide-eyed look from Naruto. "He is merely a boy who has not yet been learned in all the ways of mankind."

Mera frowned at the suggestion, but it was most likely true and perhaps the only reason the two had not been killed on the spot.

The blonde boy, however, turned to the tall woman. "You're Artemis! You're probably my favorite goddess! Where are your wolves? They're so awesome!"

The Atlantean woman gasped at the outburst, but the redheaded Amazon guffawed at his stupidity. "I am no goddess, boy. I simply bear her Greek namesake, as does Diana bear her Roman one."

The princess nodded lightly before leading them up the winding staircase that lead into the better part of the city. The soldiers followed them in rank, escorting the two strangers up the premises.

Mera grasped the boy's hand tighter as they passed through an archway that led into a huge square centered around a fountain with statues of naiads, and several streets passed through it that most likely crisscrossed most of the island's inhabited section. They only lived on a small segment of the much larger isle, the rest untouched by womankind.

The square was inhabited by hundreds of women, all in varying states of dress, but most wore their armor. Mera thought that was interesting; the Amazons were a warrior culture, more so than Atlantis, but there seemed to be civilian women who lived there as well. Or perhaps they were merely off-duty.

Needless to say, they were not giving Naruto pleasant looks, although they didn't dare question the princess like Artemis had. The woman herself was standing directly behind Naruto, holding her spear tightly.

"Let me do the talking from now on, all right?" She said with a slight grimace; the boy merely nodded. "If you interrupt the Queen, I'm certain that your tongue will be spiked outside for all to see."

"If you're lucky, kid, your head won't join it," Artemis said with a slight grin, like she would be satisfied to see it.

Mera wanted to make it clear she didn't appreciate her comment, but she was interrupted when they passed a dryad who seemed positively livid to see him. The female tree spirit, who probably belonged to a juniper or an oak tree from the looks of her leaf-like hair, practically hissed like a jungle cat and Naruto nearly jumped to hold onto Mera's leg.

"These women are scary," the boy muttered.

"No scarier than they think you are," she replied with a whisper.

No other incidents happened as they were lead up the next set of stairs, this one widening with each stone step until they reached the palace, a huge building that looked like a fancier version of the Parthenon, stone columns as untouched by time as the women who lived here. Mera couldn't help but admire its elegance; Poseidonis would never allow such a building to be built in honor of Athena, and most of Atlantis venerated Poseidon above all else. The Amazons virtually followed the sea god's intellectual opposite, Athena herself. The rivalry stretched back to Athens' inception, and would likely never change.

The princess stopped outside, the contingent following her lead. Mera had to practically jerk Naruto back when he tried to go inside without the woman's approval.

"You should have come alone, Mera," the princess said. "This boy will not impress the Queen."

The redheaded teenager nodded. "Perhaps you are right." The blonde boy did not object, but she knew he wanted to.

"Artemis, stand watch outside while I escort them inside the palace. I assure you that I will be more than enough to handle the two water-breathers if they try anything clever." The princess walked them in, and Mera had to fight from feeling offended. While the woman had fought to protect women everywhere during the second World War as a member of Alpha Squadron, she did not feel the need to spread the same love to her Atlantean counterparts. But perhaps that was merely her bias against Themiscyra talking.

When she escorted them inside, Naruto gasped upon seeing how amazing everything was inside. And it truly was amazing. The rug was a masterpiece, and artwork lined the walls. Sunlight streamed into the room and ran across the floor. Columns lined the entire room, holding up the roof.

In the center of the room was a throne, and slightly behind it was the giant golden statue of Athena known as the Athena Parthenos. She suddenly felt very unwelcome under its jeweled giant gaze.

"Diana?! What is the meaning of this? Who are these intruders and why has a male stepped foot on Themiscyra? And a water-breather no less!"

The voice of the queen rang out before Mera actually saw her, and in a few short breaths, a very pretty woman with blonde hair curled around her angular face stepped into view from behind the statue. Her dress was pure white, almost identical to the one her daughter wore. The woman carried herself proudly, a glass of red wine in hand, and a bronze circlet wrapped around her head. Her jewelry was truly magnificent.

"Mom, is that a boy?!" Another voice shouted, and a little girl with dark black hair that curled in front of one eye and hung down to her shoulders appeared from behind her. Mera clamped down her hand on Naruto's shoulder to ensure he didn't reply.

"Mother, please give them a moment of your time. They come with a request, sent by the king of Atlantis himself," Diana said, walking over elegantly to hand her the scroll. "Have mercy on them. They have traveled a long way, and truly mean Themiscyra no harm."

"You've grown soft on outsiders, Diana," the woman said before roughly taking the royal decree; Mera almost flinched when she did, afraid that the queen would rip it in half out of spite. "Donna, go back to your room."

The little girl that had nearly provoked a reaction out of the boy frowned before leaping off of the ground and flying spiritedly toward a doorway behind the statue, disappearing up the stairwell. Mera was always amazed to see an Amazon fly; not unlike Naruto and Orin's telepathic ability, natural flying was uncommon but still sometimes manifested. She knew of legends of Amazonian items granting the ability, but Donna had not possessed any of them. The woman who was once known as Wonder Woman was the same way.

"I apologize if I offended in any way," Mera began. "We merely lacked a choice, because no one else can answer our questions but the gods themselves, and you and your people are our only option."

The queen did not speak as she finished reading the decree, before rolling it together calmly. The woman walked forward and stepped into the light of the room, the sunlight glinting off her dress. The expression on her face was of calm temperament, but she didn't know how to truly read the nearly eternal woman before her.

"I understand the situation. I can certainly see the resemblance this boy shares with Kordax, in nearly all the ways that your king does." The way she spoke the name made it sound like it was the most detested of all the things in the world. For some Atlanteans, that was probably the case. "And for that very reason, I should decline your request, simply on the grounds that you brought the cursed boy here like a taint that could have easily spread to the island's inhabitants."

Mera doubted that was how curses worked, assuming the curse existed at all, to spread like a sickness. It was supposedly placed by the gods, and if Naruto did possess it, they were the only beings that could rectify it. "Should? Could?"

"I  _should_  say no and send your truly offensive bodies back to the seas in pieces," Queen Hippolyta explained without a second thought. "But I can see the mother's love you have for the boy from another world." She gestured behind her. "It's not unlike my own situation with my youngest daughter, who was brought here as an infant from Man's World only five years ago. I love her like my own, and I couldn't imagine losing her to a situation that was beyond her control."

Mera could hardly believe what she was hearing. The queen known for being icy and heartless was sympathizing with her situation? Still, despite that, she and Naruto bowed (a helpful hand on the boy's shoulder to guide him into following her gesture) and stood up. "Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me."

The woman nodded. "Yes. Of course, I will have to follow your suggestion written in the decree; the boy's memory of being on the island will be wiped away like it never existed. You will never be allowed to tell him that he visited the Amazons, and I will not vouch for him should the curse take shape as seems to be intended."

Naruto shot his head up and started to argue, but she shot him a look back to shut him up. "Yes, Queen Hippolyta. That's the only choice we have."

* * *

 **PARADISE ISLAND**  
JANUARY 8, 19:02 UTC+2  
TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

"I can't believe that they are going to make me forget," he said with a grimace; how could Mera allow that to happen? "Why?"

Diana continued to lead them into the darker parts of the island, through a cavernous system that supposedly led where they needed to go. Mera did not seem nervous about where the princess was taking them, but Naruto was not as okay with it as he could be.

With each step, it felt like it was getting darker and darker, despite the torches that lined the walls and the occasional glowing glyph of Ancient Greek. He wondered how easily it would be for Diana to kill them now, because clearly he wasn't supposed to be here.

Surprisingly, it was the dark-haired woman who spoke up. "That was the most merciful that I have seen her in months. She must truly sympathize with you, Mera." Diana stopped and knelt before the boy to get on his level. "Wiping your memory of ever visiting here is perhaps the only way she felt she could spare you. It's truly the only option that allows you to live."

"It definitely doesn't fit her reputation to be so merciful," Mera said, trying to make him feel better with holding him closer as they continued through the cavernous tunnel system. "It might cost him the memory of the trip, but I'm sure I can still learn what I need to know about the situation and tell him later."

Naruto hated feeling so left out of the loop. Why did he come at all? What was the point in him coming? He made a point to ask her, assuming that he would get the chance.

Diana continued through until they came upon what looked to be a huge set of double-doors, seemingly made of gold and bronze and dark Stygian-iron. "Once you get inside, I can't follow you. The two of you are on your own within this room. How familiar are you, Mera, with how you need to ask a question and receive an answer?"

The redhead nodded. "I studied everything that we have collected over the years about the Aegis, from legend and fact."

Diana nodded. "Good." She pressed a hand to the door. "May I speak candidly?"

"Yes," Naruto said, answering her candidly himself. He could feel the other Atlantean's eyes boring into his shoulder.

The woman smiled slightly. "I truly do hope you find the answers you seek. He may be a boy, but his situation is far beyond your power to understand. I would go to any lengths to protect the people I love, and this child is surely no exception."

Mera beamed, but Naruto was puzzled. "Uh... did you just say you loved me?"

Mera sighed lightly and just laughed. "I'm sorry, Princess. He is... an interesting child."

Diana laughed lightly. "No need to apologize. We were speaking candidly." With a single hand, the twenty-five foot tall door opened, and Naruto was in awe of how powerful the woman would have to be to move that. He was starting to wonder if everyone on the island actually  _was_  a goddess, and not just bearing the name of them.

Naruto followed Mera past the double doors, and with a great slam, the doors closed. Everything was completely dark, save for the giant shield adorning the wall in front of them. It was soaked in what seemed to be golden light, the same color as what it would look like if torches lit the room. On the face of the shield was a carving of the head of Medusa, the Gorgon that Theseus beheaded, her snake-like hairs weaving in and out of the frame.

"What is that?" he finally asked, too dumb-founded to actually say anything.

"That is the Aegis," she said. "The shield of Zeus and Athena, who each carried it into battle to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy."

Naruto both loved and hated to look at the face of this giant shield. It was by far the only object in the room, save for them, and it seemed very dangerous to be underground trying to speak to it. If he had had time, he would have loved to ask her why the Amazons placed it underground, in the realm of Hades, instead of on the top of the mountain where it would be closest to Zeus.

She forced him to stand next to it, directly in front of the bottom-most snake-head, that stuck outward from the shield slightly and sat with its mouth open, daring them to stick in a finger. He was barely paying attention when Mera suddenly stuck out her pointer finger and slashed her skin against the tooth, the blood sticking to it.

"What did you do that for?"

"A sacrifice," she explained. "Place your finger onto the other tooth and slide across it. It will hurt but the pain will dull in a few seconds."

He held up his hand and stared at it a moment, before sticking out his thumb, allowing the Aegis to bite into his skin and take the blood. He hoped she wouldn't ask why he used his thumb instead of his pointer finger, because he wasn't sure he knew how to explain it. She didn't, thankfully.

The two of them waited for a few short, agonizing moments, but the lightly glowing shield finally absorbed the blood into its fangs, and as though it were alive, the snake's head slid back into the shield.

Naruto backed away lightly when the Aegis began to vibrate and glow brighter, and in one single instant, the golden snakes all whirred to life and coalesced into one single point, before extending outward in what looked like a wheel formation with eleven spokes and twelve spaces. The eyes of the head of the Gorgon in the center of the Aegis glowed with light blue light, a stark contrast to the orange and red torch-light that seemed to be coming from the shield itself.

"As a member of his chosen people, I wish to speak with Poseidon," Mera said with a slight moment of hesitation. Naruto had no idea if this would work, but so far, it seemed to be. "I humbly honor thee, Poseidon, and wish to speak to you regarding a personal matter that only you may answer."

Nothing more happened for several moments, until Mera suddenly nudged him. He clammed up as he realized he would have to say something. "As a member of his chosen... persons, let me talk to Poseidon. I need to talk to you, sir."

The eyes shifted suddenly, before pointing down at the two Atlanteans.  **"Mera. Naruto. I have been looking forward to speaking to you face to face."**

Naruto's eyes widened at the possibility that they were speaking to a god, especially the god of the sea. He had to wonder if this was some kind of sham that the Amazons were pulling.

**"I assume that they would not be above such trickery, but I assure you, Naruto, that I am legitimate."**

"Oh, great Poseidon!" Mera bowed and Naruto followed suit, too stunned to actually comprehend this; he was speaking to the progenitor of the oceans! "Do you already know the subject of this?"

**"Yes, I do. You wish to know if the boy bears the same curse that led my brothers and sisters to abandon your people, as well as to understand the nature of the boy's birth and his journey to this world, and the power he seems to possess."**

This was news to Naruto... what was he talking about? He had often wondered why he didn't refer to Mera and Orin as mother and father, despite the fact that they certainly seemed to fit that description. Was this because he belonged to someone else... in another world? What did that mean? Was that like what Hippolyta had been referring to about her youngest daughter, whoever that was?

 **"He does not bear the Curse of Kordax, as he is not of this world to receive it."**  Mera immediately sighed with relief.  **"But I will not be able to guarantee that the people who wish him misfortune will not assume that he does not possess it."**

Naruto's eyes widened.  _What curse?_

"What about the scroll?"

**"The contents of the scroll were legitimate. Naruto's parents were from another plane of existence, temporally and spatially parallel to this plane. His journey through the planes of existence destroyed the demonic entity that his parents died trying to suppress."**

"What is this demon they spoke of?" Mera asked, and the word died in Naruto's throat.  _A demon, like the Furies or the telekhines?_

**"The demon is not of the Underworld or Tartarus, but a beast made entirely of an energy source known as chakra that is common to the people of that plane. In fact, Naruto bears the remnants of what chakra he once had in his body. That chakra has an elemental affinity for wind, and is the source of his ability to use a form of Atlantean sorcery that most cannot use."**

Naruto stared at the eyes of the shield, although he wasn't aware that spell he learned was something most couldn't use. "But the demon or whatever it was is gone?"

**"I cannot be certain, as this is something I simply cannot know. I can tell you that the creature was destroyed now like your parents predicted, but I can't be certain that it will not return in the future like the monsters of our plane."**

He frowned, wishing he could know everything the god knew about him. Finally, Mera stared at him with hopeful eyes. "Can you tell me anything else the boy needs to know in order to survive?"

The god did not answer, his eyes fading and the Aegis returning to the way things were before they arrived. "Hey! Why didn't he answer?!"

"Because that wasn't something specific we came to know," she said solemnly. "That was almost too easy, but Poseidon has no reason to lie to us. If we had asked any of the other gods for help, they wouldn't have responded the same way, if at all."

Naruto was swimming with all the ideas in his head that he couldn't understand, but the biggest question on his mind was why Mera and Orin had kept these things from him.

* * *

 **PARADISE ISLAND**  
JANUARY 9, 00:04 UTC+2  
TEN YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

When they finally arrived on the surface of the island, and after Mera dodged all of his impossible to answer questions until she could understand how to respond, Hippolyta and several Amazonian warriors were already waiting. Diana joined them, as did Donna stepping next to his mother confidently.

Mera realized it was probably too late to answer all of his questions now. She hated the idea that all of this would have to go back into hiding, and they would have to reveal all of it to him in a different way again. But if he had not come, there's no way she would have been able to get the answers they needed.

"Did you get the answers you sought?" Hippolyta asked.

It was a legitimate question, but the only true question answered was that the curse did not apply to him. Naruto would be able to live past the age of eighteen, which Orin finally did despite the Elders' assumption he wouldn't and that a blonde, telepathic king wouldn't live to be old enough to take the throne. Naruto would not live a life of repeated misery, and would be allowed to achieve happiness after death. All of that was so happy to hear from her.

But all the other information was merely a confirmation of the scroll's information, and chakra as the reason for why he could use wind magic. Naruto could be freely trained in its uses without worry that he would cause danger to others, as long as he performed it outside. Inside their pressurized rooms, it was too dangerous, like what happened at the library.

"Yes. We did," she explained. "The boy is not any more dangerous or cursed than anyone else."

The Amazonian queen nodded. "Good."

In a motion that most wouldn't have seen, Mera watched as a foot soldier slipped behind Naruto and hit a certain point with a small pinch, leaving him on the ground, unable to move. She wanted to cry out in horror, but Diana gave her a sympathetic look.

"Don't worry," the princess said. "He will wake up without anything but a small headache that will go away in a few hours. He has to be unconscious for the memory loss to take hold."

The woman nodded, already having to calm the energy within her body that she hadn't realized she was preparing; it was a blessing that her tattoos did not light out of outrage. If they had attacked him in a different way, she was certain that the river next to them would have diverted its path to roll over the entire group of soldiers waiting at the mouth of the cavern, including the queen and the two princesses as well. Assuming Wonder Woman didn't gut her first for even trying.

Within a few minutes, they force-fed him the enchanted milk and she was escorted toward the beach with Naruto in tow. Hippolyta did not follow, but Diana and Donna did. The little girl waved lightly as they boarded Hippothoon, and Mera couldn't wait to leave fast enough.

"Thank you for your help," she said truthfully to the dark-haired woman before her. "I don't think I'll ever know how to thank you."

The woman nodded. "I doubt I did much, but I'm sure you'll find a way. Look me up in Washington D.C. in the next few months"

Donna gasped. "What are you talking about?"

The woman just laughed at her little sister. "Oh, nothing, sister. I'm just thinking about seeing the world again, and figured that would be an interesting place to start. It's where the action is, after all."


	4. Ends and Means

**MOUNT JUSTICE**  
NOVEMBER 16, 01:16 EDT  
SIX YEARS UNTIL TEAM YEAR ZERO

The newly-installed computer interface activated, square holographic screens projecting from the glowing ring on the floor and the metallic apparatus above them. Orin couldn't imagine the surface ever having anything remotely resembling Atlantean sorcery, but as he reached forward to touch the blue-tinted screen, he had to smile upon seeing it react to his touch.

"It's a unique form of heat sensor that mimics a reaction to touch, since light is not normally tangible."

Orin spun around to see the man standing directly behind him, close enough that a knife was not unreasonable. "I have to admit, this technology is fantastic."

Another person entered the large central room of the compound from one of the hallways, dressed in civilian gear and a large green ring. "Well, it's cool. But my ring definitely beats this stuff." As though to show off, a green screen of light displayed from the ring, perfectly imitating the. " _And_  you can touch it."

" _Normally_  tangible," the darkly-dressed man emphasized. "That ring is certainly abnormal."

"Oh, come on, Batman. It's alien technology. Of course it isn't normal to us," the brunette man countered, before setting his bottle of soda down and holding up the ring. With a flash of green light, the projected screen faded and his green and black uniform appeared over his clothing, a mask projecting over his face. "What's the mission?"

Orin was interested as well; the island on the map display before him looked relatively new to him. He would have to check his sea charts to discover where it was and what he knew about it later. Even so, their objective must have involved that place.

The Batman gestured to the screen, following his touch commands as easily as he had suggested. The map was highlighted, as well as several key words and phrases. A name appeared on the screen. "This is the European island of Markovia, located twenty-five miles off the coast of Germany. During the aftermath of the second World War, the island was formally removed from German control, but informally remained a breeding ground for the country's underground research."

Hal seemed disgusted by the sound of that. "So what are we talking here? Eugenics?" Orin knew of the horrors of the Nazi movement, and if some vestige of their research remained, they would need to be removed. Atlantis often criticized the surface world because of this event, and was one of the examples that nearly never allowed Aquaman to exist. Orin couldn't imagine not being Aquaman.

"Yes and no," the man explained. "I would have to verify this personally, but information I have gathered through other sources indicates that they turned to cybernetics instead of genetics."

They both understood what that meant, but did not know what kinds of capabilities that could produce. "What else, Batman?" Aquaman asked.

The name was highlighted with a swipe of Batman's hand, pulling up a picture that looked far too old of a black-haired man wearing an old red uniform, saluting himself. "This is Baron Bedlam. What put this country under the international radar was the coup that placed him in power four years ago. He seems to have restarted their research the second he placed himself in the seat of power. Now, Markovia lies in the hands of a dictator."

"A Nazi dictator," Orin declared.

Batman nodded. "Perhaps unofficially. The people, however, are rebelling against him, but their efforts are nonexistent thanks to their research. This is a covert mission to destroy their research."

Hal nodded. "I'm on board, Batman, but isn't this dangerous? We run the risk of destabilizing a nation during this kind of mission. That's not how we operate."

The Gotham native looked him dead in the eye. "That's why we fly under the radar. We only want to remove their illegal program. The rebels will remove Bedlam if they so wish."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
NOVEMBER 16, 07:39 UTC-2  
SIX YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

When he found his way down to breakfast at the Conservatory, he quickly gathered his meal. The blonde boy was extremely ready, because it was finally time. Savenna and Mera were finally allowing him to take the first official step as a mage-in-training, although it was really a special case. Not many people around him were allowed to learn sorcery at his age, but there were early-inductee programs that were in place for others in similar situations. Thanks to his pull with both Orin and two senior instructors, he was going to be inducted as the potentially the youngest inductee ever, to begin schooling at the start of the new year.

Getting actual formal training from the instructors and from the newest headmaster, Mera herself, was going to be fantastic. He was just so, so ready to be able to help Atlantis and its people. Other people were going to know his name and be proud of him, he was sure of it.

He glanced over to see Savenna speaking with some of the other instructors, and wondered if the woman would come and sit with him. It had never been a problem before, but he supposed it might be now; they were all worried he was getting special treatment already, but it might be crossing the line to sit with him so publically.

So he didn't wave her over, consenting to eating his food without another thought. He tore into the kelp salad, the flavors spiced with anemone toxin. It tasted very good, one of his favorite dishes.

"Funny to see a vegetarian with teeth like that," a voice said from behind him. The owner swam over his head with a skillful swim, dropping to sit at the table across from him. "And you've got those scaly fins on your hands too."

Naruto had never seen this kid before. He was a few years older than he was. He couldn't be older than ten or eleven, with striking blonde hair and blue eyes, nearly the same as Naruto's own. His face was angular and had a snotty look, his gills far too hidden.

The boy sat down his plate, the ward activating automatically that held the plate and its contents to the table. The meat was practically captivating before him; Mera and Savenna were vegetarians, so he had followed suit. The only time he'd ever had meat was on his sixth birthday, and while it had been good, he couldn't imagine actually eating it regularly.

"You sure you don't want some of this?" asked the boy, sliding the plate over to him. The yellowtail looked really good, but the smell didn't have the stomach for it.

Naruto shook his head. "No. I don't eat meat. Too-"

"Similar?" the boy cut in. "I guess for you, it would be like cannibalism."

"No," he countered. "We're all human. You know as well as I do that's true."

The kid rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, shark-kid. My name is Ronal."

Naruto laughed at the nickname; the kid had obviously never met King Sha'ark or any of his relatives. "Naruto. Are you one of the new inductees?"

Ronal nodded. "Yep. I'm supposed to get my first tattoo today. I can't wait to learn something powerful."

The blonde only smirked. "You'll probably have to wait three months. Most of the initial teachings are all about sorcery theory."

Ronal looked at him like he was crazy. "How do you know so much about this?"

"I've lived here my whole life," he explained. "I'm being inducted as well, but I've already gone through a lot of the basics just by reading at the library. Haven't got a tattoo yet though, but I suppose you and I will be in the same line a few hours from now."

Naruto could tell that this was getting under his skin, but he figured the boy would get over it soon enough when he realized how terrible Naruto was at studying anything that wasn't practical learning. Sorcery theory and mathematical applications were his most hated subjects by far, without even stepping foot in an official classroom.

"You think you're a big-shot, don't you?" Ronal asked with a menacing frown.

"No. I don't," he said truthfully. "But neither should you, just because you aren't a fish-head."

Ronal set his jaw, clearly angry, but did not move. After a quick moment, the boy left the table with his meal in tow, and Naruto had to ignore the smell of the meat following him. He took another bite of his own plate to clear his desire.

* * *

 **MARKOVIA**  
NOVEMBER 16, 04:31 UTC+1  
SIX YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

The second he dropped into the cool water, diving so perfectly that he didn't splash, he spun like a corkscrew through the ocean, to gain top speed quickly. A glance overhead revealed the hazy shadow of the Bat-plane shimmering across the water, and a small green blip high in the sky.

He swam as hard as he could toward the island a few kilometers away, while still trying to remain stealthy. The island's sea defenses were negligible, especially for a single person swimming nearly forty kilometers per hour toward the island. It would be a different story, he supposed, if he were in a submarine.

Batman and GL were heading from the air, the former by his jet and the latter by his ring. Hal was able to cast a sort of electromagnetic cloak around them to protect them from radar, although Batman was sure his plane wouldn't be seen in most circumstances. Orin had to admit that he would rather trust the ring than the jet, because at least the ring resembled sorcery.

Orin slipped out of the ocean with a simple leap, his powerful legs carrying him out of the water with a burst of speed. He flipped several arcs through the air and landed behind the line of motion detectors lining the rocky shore. Orin pulled a tiny bat-shaped object from his belt, wishing he understood how it worked. The second he placed it on the silver instrument, there was the sound of a circuit shorting out and he was sure it was complete.

"Done," the man said into his earpiece, before running through the dark of the tree line, his meeting place with the others in mind.

"Good job. The motion sensors and cameras are on a loop," Batman explained through the communications link. "Rally point B."

Orin turned and headed east, crossing a darkened dirt road that had fresh tire tracks, heading toward the more populated areas on the other side of the island. He stepped away from the road, and not a moment too soon.

A black and red patrol jeep sped through the island, carrying what looked like no less than six soldiers, dressed in uniforms matching the jeep's color scheme. Orin cursed when he spotted their glowing red eyes, all trained on him. "We've got company!"

They carried no obvious weapons, but when one of them jumped out of the jeep, he jumped far too high for a normal human, a certain spring in his step.  _Who needs weapons when your body is one?_ Orin realized.

The soldier spun in a high arc, leg extended and prepared to axe-kick him in the back of the head. The King of Atlantis held up an arm, and the instant the foot implanted against his forearm, he twisted and grabbed the soldier's leg, spinning in place and hurling the soldier against a tree. The tall plant shook in place, but the soldier's leg was in metallic pieces, revealing that he was at least partly robotic.

"They're robots!" shouted Hal into the communicator, obviously having encountered them on another part of the island.

"No, they are cybernetic," Batman corrected. "Still human, with mechanical improvements. I am starting to wonder if they actually developed this on their own."

Orin rushed at the jeep, his inhibitions only slightly lowered at hearing this, and immediately jumped in a high arc over the vehicle, just in time to avoid one of them spitting flames from a nozzle in the center of his tongue. The powerful inferno burned where he once stood, but he ignored the arcing heat and tackled the jeep with his shoulder, denting it hard. He grabbed it under his fingers and then reached up, toppling the vehicle immediately. Two soldiers were stuck underneath it, but not in a lethal way.

One punch him hard in the back, hard enough to bruise even his skin, but the cyborg wasn't prepared to receive an only slightly tempered fist from the strongest Atlantean. He flew several feet with a hole in his robotic chest, revealing a human heart connected to wires.

"Is there any part of them that isn't mechanical?"

"The ring did a quick diagnostic," Hal explained into the comm device. "Most of the major organs have been replaced; only the heart is left, but the blood that runs through their tube-like veins is composed mostly of oil and battery acid. Their brains are glorified CPUs; these things basically are robotic corpses, because the human body couldn't withstand that much variation."

Orin felt a hint of despair for the people involved in Baron Bedlam's experiments. He doubted Markovia itself intended for the program to go this far, and it didn't surprise him to see why the people were rebelling against their leader. Bedlam was a horrible man who deserved to be stopped.

The last soldier backed away from him then, trying to gain some distance before he too suddenly decided to spit fire at him from his mouth. Aquaman knew prolonged exposure was bad news, but when the fire licked the orange-scaled outfit, he was glad for the armor that protected him from the brunt of the heat.

He spun on a single heel through the flames, surprising the soldier, and a kick sent the cyborg flying hard into the back of the overturned jeep, hard enough he dented into it, his face crushed.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
NOVEMBER 16, 09:05 UTC-2  
SIX YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

The anticipation was killing him when he finally got the opportunity to line up with the other inductees. Not surprisingly, he received several strange looks about why he was there.

One girl, who inexplicably had what looked like a jellyfish for a head, complete with tentacles running down her neck and a face etched in the side. "What is a young one like you doing here?"

"I'm going to be inducted just like you are," he answered simply, trying not to raise his voice as some people around him started to laugh at him. "Besides, you don't look that much older than I am."

The girl laughed, running a hand down her feminine body. "Kid, I've got the lifespan of a jellyfish. I'm much older than anyone else here. I'm probably older than the headmaster." Some of them laughed, but Naruto was unconvinced.

"So you are being inducted with the group of early-inductees like the rest of us, even though you're like thirty?"

The girl- err, woman?- turned away from him, a red color leaking into her odd head. "Well, technically I'm older than I look, but I don't remember most of it. I'm probably older than even thirty, but I remember the last eleven years."

Naruto wanted to ask what she was referring to, when another person elbowed him in the back. "The jellyfish life cycle repeats. I guess she and her family do too, but they don't remember most of their lifetimes before." He nodded at the whale-tailed girl who answered his question before he could speak it.

The blonde just widened his eyes. The sheer diversity in Atlantis was interesting; he thought he was different with his shark teeth and fins, but this girl had the look and lifespan of a jellyfish, with a human body. With every breath she took, her skin turned translucent, revealing an interesting anatomy as well, before returning to flesh.

He didn't have much more time to think about it before Mera stepped into the room, bowing once before swimming up to a platform overlooking the senior mages prepared to grant them full access to the Conservatory, as well as the most basic of the tattoos. Naruto couldn't wait to see what his would look like; tattoos matched the inherent skill level or training that the mage already had, so most started with the simplest level. He had to wonder what his wind sorcery training would produce.

"Welcome to the Atlantean Conservatory of Sorcery's central location in Poseidonis!" the redhead stated, earning a small nod from most of the members. "My name is Mera and I'm the headmaster of this institution. It pleases me to welcome you into our ranks on this day, and to provide you with the first tools to serve your homeland forevermore." She gestured to the senior mages who already had the specially-prepared octopus ink, bound with magical wards to unlock the energy within the Atlantean for his or her use. "As I'm sure most of you know, formal training does not begin until the start of the new year, but we will have opportunities for small group sessions in the next week. If you are interested in getting a small step ahead, you may speak to one of the senior instructors. So without further ado, the proceedings will begin."

Naruto was far too anxious, but most of the other inductees were as nervous as he was. The line was slow, not due to the actual application process, but due to the number of inductees involved. Most received simplistic black lines that did not have much variation, nor an animal theme. When Ronal walked away from the line, he flashed Naruto a grin and held up his arm, the black ink cornering two times down his arm and ending with what looked like a crab claw on the back of his palm.

Naruto wondered what kind of magic that meant, or what kind of special ability it would have. Ronal must have some talent for sorcery, or he would have received the same kind of tattoo as anyone else.

When he finally realized it was his turn, he approached the table with a flourish and bowed lightly, an excited grin on his face. "I'm so happy!"

The mage in question, a pretty woman with black hair and dark skin, wasn't anyone he had ever met, so he figured that the three tattoo application mages had to be volunteers from one of the other kingdoms. Judging by the beautiful color of her skin, he wondered if she was from Shayeris. "Let's get you started. If you would, could you hand me your finger?"

A quick poke from a tiny needle revealed crimson blood lightly flowing out of it. He followed her instructions, placing his finger in the ink blot prepared for him. A tiny tattoo appeared underneath the skin on both of her hands, glowing bright blue as she placed them on either side of the ink. He placed his other hand next to the first, an unwounded finger touching the ink.

"This may hurt, son. But the pain will fade in a mere few moments."

The ink suddenly lurched upward as though it was alive and burned into his skin; it was all he could do not to scream as it crawled up his body. It faded as soon as it was noticed, but as the ink crawled, more places began to burn with intensity. They glowed with a blue, almost silver light as they were completed, and the ink settled into his skin.

His own individual tattoos were more impressive than even Ronal's, which was sure to upset the other blonde. The ink swirled around his forearms three times and ended at his elbow, running along the inside of his arm up to his armpit. The tattoo wrapped around his arm fins and ended in a five-pronged pattern that reminded him of a starfish. He reached up to check underneath his shirt, revealing that the tattoos had connected in the center of his chest in a v-shape. Naruto smiled that it almost looked like an upside-down version of Aquaman's sigil, something he was very proud of.

The woman had obviously never seen anything like it, on someone his age, based on the look on her face. After a moment, she tempered her expression. "May it help you in your studies."

"I hope so," he said with a smile, feeling like he needed to scream with happiness. He glanced toward Mera, but the woman was busy speaking with the other instructors and had not noticed him.

He had to admit, he was a little upset that she had either not noticed or not cared. Shaking his head from that dark thought, he walked to where the other newly-inducted members were to chat with them about what's happening. He wanted her or Savenna to approach him, but neither did. He supposed it was for the best.

* * *

 **MARKOVIA**  
NOVEMBER 16, 04:58 UTC+1  
SIX YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

The second he arrived at the rallying point, Orin was positively sure that the disguised metal door lead to the inner chambers they were trying to find, where they could wipe the research and possibly destroy the laboratory. There didn't seem to be any guards outside, so it had to be a secret entrance, or perhaps an exit, that Hal's ring had identified when scouting the island from above.

When the other two Justice League founders arrived alongside him, they didn't speak per Batman's silent order. GL's ring flashed alive with green light, and a crowbar construct suddenly appeared, wedging into the metallic doors that flickered out of the odd camouflage. Orin reached his fingers inside and pulled the opening apart with a great display of strength and leverage, and Batman immediately tossed a pellet of noxious fumes, purple smoke billowing out of the entryway and hopefully dispatching the potential guards.

When one of them jumped out, obviously not bothered by the smoke because of the mechanical replacement of a lung, Green Lantern reacted first and sent a small battering ram with a dragon's head into the doorway, smashing the robot against the wall and leaving him unconscious.

The three Leaguers disappeared inside as soon as it was clear they weren't going to get in covertly, and Batman slid into whatever training he had received over the years. Orin was shocked to see he had vanished, disappearing down a hallway. "You know what to do," his nearly silent voice barked into the communicator, so quiet he couldn't understand which hallway he had vanished into.

Orin nodded as GL read his diagnostic information out loud into the communicator, and both Batman and Orin had a general idea of where to go, if the Bat did not already. The King split up from Hal, disappearing into a side hallway and immediately regretting it.

What looked like some kind of cannon suddenly launched from the walls, as well as three of its friends, and Aquaman cursed under his breath.

Rolling out of the way of the first red blast of energy, he reached into his belt and yanked the tiny rod from it. With a flick of his wrist, a golden trident extended and he immediately slashed outward, chopping the gun in half as it exploded.

He punched the wall plating as hard as he could, wishing he could nurse his knuckles as the wall dented and prevented the next gun from hitting him directly. He jumped toward it, avoiding another explosive energy blast and stabbed it, vaulting over the gun and slashing at the next two.

After a short second, he nodded to force himself to keep moving, silently thanking Naruto for the suggestion of using a trident in his efforts as Aquaman. After all, the ancient kings of the oceans carried the weapon as more than just a ceremonial tool, and the boy had always been mystified by the stories. It didn't take long for Batman to design a more sturdy, weaponized trident.

When he finally burst into the next room, it was obvious that it was some kind of laboratory, but it was completely empty of scientists and even soldiers. He didn't let that fact bother him, just glad that the laboratory was multi-tiered and overlooking an kind of indoor pool. If he focused on the water hard enough, he could feel that it was connected to the ocean through some form of tunnel.

"This lab is completely empty of people, but there's still potential research. There's no sign of weapons or defenses, and there's an ocean escape route."

"Wipe it clean. Destroy anything you come across."

He set out to begin destroying any equipment he could find, but the large lab was devoid of anything he could describe as active cybernetics. The research here must have been on paper, and not actually being built. He read something about a seismic disrupter but ripped it up like anything else; all the important files would be stored electronically, and Batman would handle that. GL was supposed to be looking for the factory, and Batman the server room. Even so, he stayed in that room and waited for any signal.

"The amazing Aquaman. You're quite a mystery; no one seems to know where you come from, but the prevailing theory is that you jumped into a pool of radioactive water."

Orin spun around in time to see a man walking into the room, his red and black uniform much nicer than any of the soldiers. His black hair hung almost over his eyes, which was not exactly what he had expected. However, it was clear who he was from the information Batman had provided at the Cave. Standing before Orin was Baron Bedlam.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
NOVEMBER 16, 10:08 UTC-2  
SIX YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Mera absolutely loved her new job, but she felt swamped. Her assistants had yet to be hired, but she was sure they would ease her work load so she could get into the nitty-gritty of the details. So far, she was doing most of the work herself and she often wondered if the previous headmaster had this much work all the time.

Everyone around her always assured her that it was just a matter of time before she would adjust to preparing for the new school year, and her duties would calm down to a manageable level. She just hated that the old office staff left when the headmaster did.

She flipped through a page and found the records of the early inductee program. They were inducting around forty-nine people, definitely an motley crew from all around the seven kingdoms. She flipped through their results from the tattoo applications and was a little unimpressed. Only six of the entire group held any kind of real potential, or had done any prior training, as they held individualized designs that fit their needs. Most people couldn't perform sorcery without the tattoos, but it wasn't as much of an oddity as she had first imagined. She certainly couldn't without her tattoos, but Mera was one of the most powerful sorcerers in all of Atlantis. It wasn't a sign that you were more powerful if you had some magical talent without the guidance of the sorcery tattoos.

She looked at the picture of Naruto's design and was astounded by the level of variation. She wasn't sure if it was because the boy was incredibly skilled, or if his ability to use wind sorcery just provided an interesting design for his initial application to mimic; she supposed it was closer to the latter, because of the chakra affinity Poseidon described all those years ago.

Usually, the level of individualization applied with your skill level and the amount of training you had prior. Naruto had been trained off and on for the last few years, and especially within the last few months, with his wind magic. But he hadn't gotten as far as he probably would like, because Mera and Savenna were very careful about how to teach him from the tomes of Kordax and other recorded spells the previous wind mages had used. She didn't want him to overdo it, and definitely wanted to keep the more dangerous spells to himself.

She looked at Mela'aina's notes about his tattoo application, her written notes very interesting. She mentioned starfish, and when Mera reviewed the picture again, she saw the five-pronged design on his hand and smiled.

The starfish specialization was uncommon, but not quite as uncommon among some of the more well-trained mages. Mera had considered gaining the regenerative abilities of the starfish when she graduated to her upgraded tattoo, but instead went for the power of the octopus tattoo. It was partly to support Orin and to defend herself and Atlantis, she had to admit, but if she were more selfish, she was sure she would have gone with the other to protect herself.

Even so, to have that level of ability from the start was another interesting fact about Naruto that surprised most of the people around him. The gods themselves had shed some light on the enigmatic origin of the boy, but there were still some things that were unknown.

She continued reviewing the records, but her mind drifted away from her quickly. Her boyfriend, the King, was gone on League business, although she was the only person in all of Atlantis who even knew the Justice League existed. The alliance between the most powerful and well-known superheroes of the surface world was a fact that not many actually knew, and it could be years before they went public. To know that secret was a burden in and of itself, but to be the one person he entrusted the secret to was an amazing feeling.

She feared for his safety and wished she knew how to help them more directly; she even offered to join them, and would be a welcome addition as far as Diana was concerned. But upon further consideration, she declined her own offer because of her career. She wasn't sure she could handle the double life as well as Orin did, and even then, the King struggled. So she decided to stay behind to focus on the Conservatory, and thanks to that focus and hard-work, she was awarded the position of headmistress.

She threw herself at her work while Orin dealt with the Justice League and the throne, and Orm handled much of the kingly affairs while the man was busy. Mera often wondered if the brunette prince knew the secret of the Justice League, or suspected, but Orin swore up and down that his younger brother didn't need to know yet. Once again, she felt special that he allowed that secret to fall on her ears.

Still, even after all of that, she worried for his safety. Orin was strong, stronger than any other Atlantean in all the Seven Seas. But she worried that he would face an opponent that he couldn't overcome, or that a member of the League wouldn't have his back. It was naive to believe he would never be in danger, or that he would always be safe, even though he always assured her he would be okay.

* * *

 **MARKOVIA**  
NOVEMBER 16, 05:03 UTC+1  
SIX YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Hal's ring flashed as it investigated the factory, trying to analyze any data and feeding it to him, through a mental link he had yet to truly understand. He glanced over at the life-size construct replica of himself fighting in the corner, flying around and trying to distract the soldiers while he gathered any data he could.

His vision field increased as his eyes glowed and pointed out several potential technologies, most of which were found in the soldiers he had fought already. Plasma cannons, flame throwers, enhanced muscular replacement, plates of hidden torso armor.

He focused in on the plasma cannons, curious as the ring specified that it couldn't place the place of origin of the energy involved, but that it was non-terrestrial.  _Why did it not match the archives of a Green Lantern ring?_

When he was sure he had a full diagnostic scan, he flew up and increased his personal shielding aura, attracting the bullets and flamethrowers of the cybernetic soldiers. His ring flashed and immediately created a brick wall of green energy, blocking their effects.

The construct clone faded and everyone was suddenly paying attention to him. "Over here!" He smiled at the challenge and flew through the air, deflecting their long-distance attacks with the defensive constructs. In one motion, he shoved his hand forward.

The wall increased brick by brick and immediately slammed into contingent of soldiers, hitting them hard against the wall. Hal frowned. "That was too easy."

His eyes flashed as he spun around, barely managing to create a baseball bat construct that slammed into the cyborg he had missed and threw it into the ground. "Spoke too soon.  _That_  was too easy."

* * *

 **MARKOVIA**  
NOVEMBER 16, 05:13 UTC+1  
SIX YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

Batman dispatched the next guard before it could blink upon seeing the first fall to the ground. The bat-shaped projectile collided in the ground between them before exploding, sending the two of them flying away from the door to the server room.

He leaped down and landed, cape sliding along the ground behind him, before running toward the room, knowing that he had to do this quickly. He calculated reinforcements coming down the second hallway based on the sound of their footsteps, enhanced through his cowl, and reached into his belt and tossed several pellets. Instantly, black polyurethane foam burst to life and blocked the hallway, solidifying into a powerful mass and preventing them from coming further.

He slipped inside the server room, already knowing how to wipe their entire computer system and gather data. He found the connection point in the glorified walk-in closet filled with huge black system towers, inserting the cable from his suit to the mainframe. He had several moments to wait until it could activate and hack through it, doing a system wipe.

He tried to think of only the mission, but Aquaman had already warned him that Baron Bedlam had found him. And if his mostly robotic soldiers were difficult to handle, it was likely that the Baron had the best of all their research embedded in his body.

The League itself was at risk with essentially attacking the leader of an actual country, as illegal as it might be. As of now, their operations were clandestine at best, although he was sure that intelligence agencies had enough data to suspect their alliance. It was difficult to hide your operations when one of your members regularly glowed with green light and fired blasts of it. If the UN got direct word that the seven strongest superheroes were working around the globe, behind borders and in secret, before they were ready to reveal it, he wasn't sure what they would do with that information.

Baron Bedlam must not be engaged.

He glanced down at the files on his suit's computer, a screen embedded in the arm of his suit. He actually wondered how he could add the Cave's new systems to his personal suit, but that would be more difficult. Something called the "Day of Reckoning" appeared, and that certainly did not sound good; he couldn't afford to waste time analyzing it now.

* * *

 **MARKOVIA**  
NOVEMBER 16, 05:15 UTC+1  
SIX YEARS BEFORE TEAM YEAR ZERO

"I know who you are, you Nazi."

Bedlam laughed suddenly. "Oh come now. It's been sixty years. Can't you cut me a break?"

"No. Your entire country and the illegal research you've been involved in is steeped in Nazi history," explained the King of Atlantis. "You've sought to achieve the same goal of creating a master race, but through different means. The end result, however, is the same; the suppression or extinction of anyone who doesn't bend to your will or accepts your belief that you are superior."

Bedlam didn't move from his spot at the top of the tiered lab, but Orin had to wonder how human the man above him was. "Oh, but I am superior!" He had a menacingly crazy look on his eyes. "The method by which I achieved my goal was far more morally acceptable. But what right do  _you_  have to interfere with Markovian affairs, 'hero'?"

Orin narrowed his eyes. "As a member of the human race with the goal of the betterment of mankind, I have the right to interfere with someone whose practices are illegal and threaten humanity as a whole."

Bedlam actually laughed. "Oh, don't give me that, Aquaman. Why do you choose to believe that you are morally superior? After all, you are surely violating international law by invading my country. Or is this a case of the ends justifying the means, as so determined by the one who believes he will be the victor?"

Orin didn't say anything, just waited. He could hear both Hal and Batman on the comm link, shouting for him to stall until they could handle their part of the job.

"Do not physically engage him, Aquaman!" Batman shouted. Orin knew why; it was far too messy an outcome. "Think of the future for when we reveal ourselves to the public."

Finally, he frowned. "If you stop your illegal cybernetics program, I'm certain that you will receive some time off once you go to international court."

Bedlam shook his head. "I'm afraid I will not be doing that, quite frankly, but I cannot let you and your associates live."

Without warning and moving fast enough that Barry would probably be half-impressed, the leader of the country jumped off of his platform, his legs shifting under his pants revealing gears and metallic parts increasing his ability.

Orin leaped backwards out of the way, the Baron's foot colliding with the floor and immediately cracking it. Bedlam's fist lodged itself in Orin's belly, driving home like a powerful hammer, before beginning to twist like a drill. It moved faster and faster, boring a hole through his armor before he brought the trident up and tried to knock him out of the way with the blunt side.

The Atlantean's strength was enough to shove it away, before Orin bent over and ran forward, grappling the cybernetic leader to the ground. He threw Batman and the Justice League's caution to the wind: this man was the criminal leader of a country, and he'd be doing the rebels and international law a favor by bringing him down.

His trident slid away from his hand, but he pressed harder into the ground. Part of the Baron's torso slid away, revealing a metallic rod that looked very similar to one of his ribs. It launched itself up like a spear, and Orin only narrowly slid away from it. In that moment, he let go of the man's hand, and that was all he needed.

The hand flipped up and shifted into some kind of launcher with a barrel. A powerful red energy blast collided with his side, throwing Orin several yards away into a screaming mess. Fighting consciousness, he glanced up as the Baron's body twisted mechanically, adjusting like a robot, and then walked over. "Help," he muttered weakly, trying to adjust his hand to the

"Idiot. You charged an opponent without understanding his capabilities, of which I have many," Bedlam mocked, his arm cannon transformed into a hand once more. The King of Atlantis pressed a hand to the large burn wound, some of which was leaking blood and the other half burning so painfully from being cauterized. "I suppose you will be the least trouble to deal with out of the three intruders who believe themselves to be heroes. No one truly knows how to counter Green Lantern, and it's especially difficult to hit the Batman."

When Bedlam stopped in front of the barely conscious King, Orin wished so much he had the strength to do something. The ocean was so close...

"Don't worry, I'll reunite you with the water."

A mechanized boot hit him so hard in the side of his ribs, they were pulverized from the sheer force. The pain was unbearable, like hundreds of needles poking his entire body all at once. Orin spun into the pool connected to the sea, his last sight a flash of green before he lost consciousness.


	5. Reckoning

**GOTHAM CITY**  
NOVEMBER 29, 03:21 EDT  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE SIX

He pressed his fingers to his face, rubbing his eyes from the strain of staring at the monitor before him. The blue light was practically the only source of light in the cave, and his focus flickered across it as the super computer calculated several possibilities, all at the same time and showing the results at will.

He couldn't find the connection, and he was starting to wonder if he was driving himself insane trying to stare at the same data over and over again.

He had been wrong in his assumption that Markovia would store all their data electronically on site, if at all. There were several possible threads to sift through, as well as diagnostics for their weapons or other machinations during their program. But he wouldn't give up until he shook the feeling away of not knowing what was happening.

The "Day of Reckoning" that Lantern mentioned seeing in the factory... it wasn't in any of the files he extracted, but it wasn't possible that they weren't connected. He simply couldn't find any trace of it in the data. Nothing matched, no matter how hard he tried. The Bat-Computer couldn't analyze any connection, but he was going to force it to run through twice as many algorithms as possible.

One program was scanning schematics of some of the nastier weapons for connections, but despite being incredibly illegal and deadly, he couldn't be sure what the Day of Reckoning was, or if it even involved any of these weapons.

Another program was compiling electronic communications stored on the server, but there weren't many. He was prepared to admit he hadn't expected a more secure private server to be involved, but even then, he couldn't be sure that was necessary to assume existed.

He wished he could technologically decipher Bedlam's mind, but despite the fact that he was more machine than man, he still fell onto human coping mechanisms. When the two Leaguers had effectively defeated him after he took out Aquaman, he somehow mentally activated a self-destruct sequence that destroyed his own body. Flash had morbidly joked that they would have to scrape the blood off of Lantern's force bubble, before he apologized for being grotesque.

"Master Bruce, it seems you've forgotten that sleep is requirement for human function."

Batman swiped off the cowl, turning to look at the bald, mustached man holding a mug of what he assumed was coffee and a slip of paper. "I know, Alfred. But I can't afford to not be looking for this."

The butler handed him the mug and laid what looked to be a brochure on the table. "You really ought to go, Master Bruce. I visited them once while they were in London, and the trapeze act was marvelous." He looked up, thoughtful. "They must have had a boy no older than four on the trapeze with them back then! It was remarkable."

Bruce didn't have time for circuses, or for leisure in general. Especially now, with a potential threat out there. He didn't have the heart to tell Alfred though. The man he regarded as the only father figure he could truly remember had been slipping destinations or events he could take a break away from Gotham or the League, and this was only the latest in a stack of papers and brochures he needed an entire file drawer for.

Bruce gladly took a sip of the black coffee, enjoying it immensely, before turning to the screen once more. He tried to think harder about the case before him, but he was very aware of the fact that Alfred was hovering. After a moment, the butler backed off and turned to head back upstairs.

"You need a break, and if not a long one, then a short one. Perhaps you need to visit your friend in recovery; have you not received notice that he has been released from surgery?"

Bruce furrowed his brow and reached up to flip tabs until his email appeared on the bottom half of the screen. If it had been written as a League alert, he would have responded in kind. Instead, his personal email account had a message from Clark revealing that Orin had undergone extensive lung surgery and was still on life-support. His half-Atlantean physiology was making it difficult, however, to treat him.

He sighed lightly. "I'll go during visiting hours."

"Will that be all, Master Bruce?"

He merely nodded and turned back to the computer, glad for the coffee.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
DECEMBER 3, 10:15 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE SIX

"Why won't you let me see him?!"

Mera shook her head, eyes flickering to the boy's teeth and fins. "I'm afraid that would leave too many questions. The surface world is not aware of our existence, and a boy who looks like a fish appearing next to him would be difficult to explain."

Naruto was puzzled and a little bit angry, trying to temper himself but failing. "Why didn't they bring him here?"

Mera frowned, her face fallen; he only just noticed her exhaustion. "His injuries were too severe to move him, once he was delivered to a surface world hospital. It was the only option they had."

He didn't want to accept that, but he didn't have a choice. For nearly three weeks, Naruto only knew that the King was missing and Mera wouldn't tell him where she was going most of the day. He hated feeling out of the loop; they used to tell him everything! And now, he was stuck just as clueless as everyone else.

"Is he doing okay?"

"He is improving," she explained, a hint of hope in her eyes. "When they finally told me of his condition, I was able to add a touch of sorcery alongside human surgery, and I think it has greatly improved his condition."

"Wait! If you've been using magic around him, why can't I see him? Doesn't that show that Atlantis exists?"

She knelt down to his level. "I understand your frustration, but I cannot allow you to visit him. I am able to disguise my abilities as merely another superhero, and I do not have to reveal the origin of my powers. The doctors do not ask questions. I'm afraid that the media, however, would make the connection if you were involved."

Naruto refused to understand, but finally took a deep breath. "Tell him that I'm thinking about him. I'm sure he'll make it through."

The woman nodded. "Of course. Are you going to participate in any of the advanced classes for the earlier students?"

"Of course. I'll take any bit I can get. I figure I won't mind showing off a little too."

She gave him a dry look. "Is that wise? Should you draw attention to yourself?"

He gestured to the tattoos wrapped around his wrist. "Isn't this enough for that? All the other inductees look at me like I'm some kind of genius. You know I'm not, so that's why I need the extra classes if I'm ever going to be as good as you or Aquaman. I want to help as many people as I can while serving Atlantis!" He held up his hand, nearly instantly earning a wide-eyed look from Mera. His tattoos glowed lightly before a small burst of wind collected above his hand, enough to shake everything in the room. "And I can shock them with this."

She nodded and immediately collected the excess air bubbles with a purple flash of light, integrating them back into the water. "If you're going to do that, don't do it in a classroom. You don't have enough control to lessen the pressure changes, and I don't want to hear about you popping a room like a bubble."

He laughed at her description, but he didn't have anything with the amount of power she was talking about. "Of course." He thought of the jerk Ronal and wanted to see the look on his face when he performed a magic no one else could, even as relatively unskilled as he was.

* * *

 **METROPOLIS**  
DECEMBER 5, 09:13 EDT  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE SIX

Mera stepped into the room and wiped a tear prematurely, hoping to stop it from forming before it did. Orin had shown a lot of progress, but seeing the love of her life on the bed where none of her efforts had actually helped was astonishing.

Air-breather medicine had hit a wall with trying to help him. In the past several weeks, he had had three surgeries on his chest, but the anatomy was ever so slightly different, and getting the right chemical composition of any medicines to match enzymes was difficult. Mera had offered to give a blood sample, in the hopes something could be done, but because Orin wasn't fully Atlantean, so that wouldn't help.

All they could do was stabilize him and hope that he pulls out. She had studied everything she could about healing sorcery, which was not something she dabbled in often, but nothing she did helped.

She admired the flowers on the end-table, admiring the smell. It was some kind of yellow daffodil, or maybe a tulip; she didn't understand them very well, but it was a kind custom that she accepted. She added them to the others and then looked at the card, which only had the symbol of a bat and the words, "I'll figure this out."

All of the Leauge had visited at one point or another, and meeting them all again had been incredibly interesting. Especially considering the fact that they arrived in civilian identities, even Diana, who said it was only to keep up appearances to the media that there was not, in fact, a secret alliance of heroes. Only Batman had never showed up, apparently still working.

She was just proud to know that Orin had such amazing friends looking out for him on the surface. It reassured her that his activity as Aquaman was necessary.

Mera had tried to spend as much time as she could away from the desk to visit him, but it was impossible not to return occasionally. She remembered her conversation with Naruto about Orin, and about the idea that Atlantis was still secret to the public. She didn't bother looking outside the window to see the media circus standing outside, having milked the story of Aquaman in a public hospital for nearly a month. No, it was right that Naruto didn't show up, because they would have to sneak him inside and she didn't want to have to hide him.

Wasn't the point of Aquaman to be an advocate for Atlantis? To be a liaison to the surface world, to ensure that they didn't kill the entire undersea culture with their pollution? She wasn't sure where that idea was lost along the way of his nearly three-year journey as a superhero, or why Orin never revealed his origins. For all they knew, he was just a guy who helped protect coastal cities and very rarely get involved elsewhere.

She often wondered if the Elders had something to do with the secrecy, but he wouldn't tell her if that was the case. They may model themselves after the twelve Olympian gods, but they were far from their image in character. It wouldn't surprise her at all if Orin had been forced to remain silent, and he complied so long as he could keep his duties protecting people.

In an odd way, she was proud to see Orin like this, lying wounded and riddled with surface-world IVs. Sad and worried, but proud. He had been hurt in the line of a self-imposed duty to protect people who had never done anything for him in return. The King would sacrifice himself for people who would never understand him, and that gave her chill bumps to even think about.

There was a knock at the door. "Hello, Mera!" A bald black man walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. He held a plate of food in his hand. "I saw that you were scheduled to arrived, and I thought I would bring you this."

She smiled, wiping away a tear she didn't realize she was holding in, before walking over to embrace the Martian. "Thank you, J'onn."

"You're most welcome." The alien in human form sat the food on the table in front of him, taking the chair across from her. Mera was glad to have some surface food; the vegetables had such a sweet taste here.

"How'd your trip to Mars go?" Mera asked, glad to speak to him about this. He was one of the most open people she had ever met, and he was as much an outsider on Earth as she was on the surface. He understood Orin and Mera's struggle as much as Diana did.

"It went well," he explained. "I wish it had been under better circumstances, however. It appears that my twin brother has gone missing, and no one knows where he has gone."

She looked at him curiously. "Isn't that hard to do on your planet?"

J'onn nodded. "That is what is most troubling. It is difficult to lose track of a mind on Mars; most people live openly and without telepathic privacy. My brother was born without the ability to send telepathic signals, a rare anomaly that makes him difficult to find. I had to stop racial violence that occurred as a result of his going missing, but after several days, we believe he has left the planet."

Mera couldn't imagine leaving her own planet, but the feeling of looking out the hospital window at the Metroplis skyline around her had to be similar to her situation. "What would make him run?"

The Martian peered at her as she at her food, the gears turning in his mind. She wondered again if the alien was reading her mind, but he had assured her the first time they met that he understood boundaries.

"I am not sure. Despite the nature of our birth, the two of us have never been close. But I imagine he has always felt like an outsider, like someone who didn't fit in with the rest of their society."

"Maybe he left to find a new one?" she asked, curious, before an idea struck her. "Could he have come to Earth?"

J'onn shook his head. "No, I do not believe so. But it is a possibility I had not considered."

Mera ate another bite of her salad, strangely liking the low sodium content, before looking over at her boyfriend. J'onn smiled. "I do not have to read your mind to know what you are thinking. He will be fine, I assure you. I have seen him deal with much worse. Baron Bedlam is no Appellaxian."

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better," she said. "Do you know if Batman has discovered anything more dangerous?"

The man shook his head. "I do not. He has been working nearly nonstop for the last month, but I would need to check the report for any information." He tapped his forehead. "I would have been able to scan Bedlam's mind, had he not committed suicide."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
DECEMBER 11, 1:37 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE SIX

Naruto took a deep breath and tried to relax, but he couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous. Some of the early inductees had gathered for an extra class that D'istar was composing, and it had been the one Naruto had to sign up for.

D'istar was a battle-hardened mage who had participated in the uprising of Neptunos in his youth, and he had so much anger it was like he never left that battlefield. When he started to teach, he was perhaps the most strict teacher in the campus, and it had not waned over the years. He had a focus on combat, and that was the reason why Naruto had to take this class.

However, the old teacher with short black hair, dark skin, and a gray dolphin tail hadn't spent any real time talking about practical battle skills, but rather talking about his experiences and how his training could impact those experiences.

However, others seemed to share Naruto's need for combat training, and by the half hour mark, everyone was so ready for him to start displaying something powerful. The merman noticed their anticipation, but didn't comment on it until Ronal practically stood up in his seat.

"I'm so ready to blow something up. Can't you teach us something good? Or at least, show us something!"

When many of the people in class started to agree, even Naruto despite his dislike for Ronal, the old teacher frowned. "Fine. If you're so ready to do something good, I'll show you just how outclassed you are." He looked up at the crowd of onlookers, before locking eyes with Naruto. "You. The kid with the wind sorcery. Come down here and join me."

Naruto was astounded; he knew he had a chance to get picked on, but he didn't expect to have to fight the teacher. D'istar was going to slaughter him. Figuratively, he hoped.

When Naruto swam down to the battlefield, he was already running through all the spells he knew. Thanks to the tattoo, a lot of spells didn't require invocation anymore. But he still needed to pull out all the stops to fight him, if he had any useful powers in the combat arena. He wanted to at least impress the rest of the class before he got taken down by the old warrior.

But when D'istar suddenly called on Ronal to join them, Naruto smirked. The taller ten year old swam down to stand across from him, his post very regulation from what Naruto had seen in textbooks.

"All right, does anyone know why I called on them?"

"Because they hate each other?" suggested one, but the teacher shook his head, peering at both of them upon hearing it.

"Because they have the most individualized tattoos?" suggested another, earning a nod from the teacher.

"I chose this poser," the teacher said with a hand pointing to Naruto, "because of his unique skills. And I chose the other poser because of his family training him too early. These two should be fairly evenly-matched." After another moment, he swam backwards. "Begin!"

Ronal began his charge faster than Naruto, his tattoos glowing as water swirled around his fists. In a quick analysis, it didn't look like Ronal could form solid shapes, but there was a lot of power hiding behind the glowing fist of swirling sorcery.

Naruto spun out of the way of the strike, aiming a knee into Ronal's gut, but the attack collided with Naruto's thigh and he was sent flying away. He recovered with a kick upward, swimming in place over the stands where the class was assembled, and when Ronal charged after him with a powerful leap off the arena floor, Naruto smirked.

Charging the magic within his palms, his tattoos shimmered with blue light. A bright silver burst of wind fired in front of him, sending him flying backward from the inertia and immediately colliding with Ronal. The class was in awe at the circular display of wind that almost immediately collected as bubbles that obscured the fight for a moment.

Ronal landed hard on the ground, skidding in a cloud of dust, before pressing off. His tattoos glowed once more, and Naruto was reminded of the crab specialization. Did his opponent know any moves that took advantage of that? Naruto certainly didn't know how to use starfish magic, and he didn't remember what crab did.

When Ronal managed to gather the liquid around his fists again, he finally remembered. Water gathered around the body of a crab specialization would grant greater physical power and endurance, like the vice and shell of a crab.

Naruto pulsed another wave of wind in front of him, hardening the air into a kind of shield that managed to deflect the other blonde's potentially powerful hit. But he wasn't prepared for the other striking foot, and it crashed through the wind hard enough to send Naruto spinning, disoriented.

Ronal took advantage and moved fast, his limbs partially surrounded by hardened water, and then drove a fist hard into Naruto's chest, sending him barreling toward the arena's floor.

He rose a hand and summoned a spiral of wind in front of him, ignoring the cloud of bubbles that protected his powerful fall. He landed flat on his back, breathing hard for a few seconds.

"You've both got a decent grasp on your strengths," D'istar said, before immediately calling on his own sorcery. Naruto barely noticed the tentacle-like appendages that wrapped around both of them, holding Naruto to the ground and tearing Ronal back to it. "But don't get cocky. Your reaction times are terrible, and there's a lot more to sorcery than this. You two are about as creative as a clownfish."

* * *

 **METROPOLIS**  
DECEMBER 19, 12:58 EDT  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE SIX

Orin suddenly shocked himself awake, very clearly aware that something was wrong.  _Why am I not wet?_ He opened his eyes and immediately closed them, trying to move away from the sunlight and feeling the pain in his chest as he moved. The intense sensation of a piece of rib grating against another brought tears to his eyes.

Trying to taper off his breaths, he finally managed to think more clearly. He remembered the feeling of Bedlam's boot slamming against his chest, clearly breaking multiple ribs and causing intense injury. He had no concept of where he was, and the lack of water was disorienting.

He opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the afternoon light, before looking up to see the IV connected to the arm, dripping fluids nearly constantly. He shook off the grogginess and realized there were four of them, one in each of his extremities, all pouring water at exactly the same rate directly into his system. If he focused hard enough, his eyes could see the signs of magic in the liquid.

Why was there sorcery trying to treat him the air-breather way? Why wasn't he in Atlantis, recovering from the mission there?

The monitor beeped suddenly as he made a quick movement, before immediately ringing with alert. His senses immediately kicked into overdrive, and without warning, he jumped from the bed and fell to the ground as the pain shocked him down, stunning him.

"Aquaman!" a familiar voice shouted, and he stared up to see a blonde man suddenly appear with a whoosh of wind. It took him a second to remember that that was Barry. The Flash helped him stand, before laying him back in bed. "You need to rest. You're obviously still in pain, but I'm glad you're awake. It's a marked improvement."

Orin still wanted to get up, but refrained for Barry's sake. "What happened? How long have I been out?"

"Too long. The mission to Markovia happened last month," he explained with a slight whisper. "Bats and GL managed to stop the Baron, but he committed suicide by self-destructing inside Hal's bubble during transport. And that was after claiming that they would all see the 'Day of Reckoning' very soon."

Orin nodded, but was angry that he might have been hurt for no reason. If somehow, Baron Bedlam still had a plan out there, even after committing suicide, then he got hurt for nothing. He didn't regret it, but there were better ways of handling things.

"Why am I here instead of in Atlantis? I could have recovered a lot faster."

Barry shook his head. "Your lungs were perforated and your heart had been hit hard; you had three separate surgeries on different major organs. If we had moved you, you could have died. By the time we got you to a hospital bed, you were in really bad condition."

He hated this, but he understood it. "How's the world reacting to Markovia?"

"As well as you might expect," the Flash explained. "Markovia isn't aware of our involvement in the mission, thankfully, but Lois Lane wrote a scathing expose about Bedlam's cybernetic Nazi agenda. We didn't ask her to, but she included mention that a suicide note had been found and essentially covered for us. Batman made sure the story matched by forging one for the rebels to find."

He didn't like operating so much in secret; all of them were getting to him for sure. He was starting to wonder if the Baron had been right to question their motives in invading his country. "Fine. Then we can't go into a country like that again. I made a mistake in not fleeing Bedlam when I had the chance; we could have taken what we had and left. Instead, I fought him directly and paid the price."

"No," the Flash said immediately, nearly too fast to hear. "We weren't wrong to stop that monster. I don't like trying to fake a suicide note either, but what is done is done. This won't give us any trouble from the UN, but we have another problem."

Orin's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? I'm sure Batman will figure it out, if he hasn't already. When has he not?"

Barry shook his head. "Let me rephrase: you have a problem. The doctors here know about your body and the fact that you aren't fully human; or at least, not baseline human. It's not impossible for them to accept that you just are an odd cookie, but if the government compare it with samples from other people they don't know are Atlanteans, they are going to make the connection. How long until someone finds a body of Triton or someone else?"

Orin sighed. "I can't reveal Atlantis to the public without the political pressure down my neck forcing us to stay secret. They think if the air-breathers find out about us, you'll nuke us." He glanced up at the Flash. "Considering there are other people like Bedlam out there, maybe that's not an irrational fear."

Barry was solemn but understanding. "I... can't blame you really, but that's why we're here. To stop people like him." The Atlantean king nodded.

"I have to head back to work, and visiting hours are almost over. I think Mera is supposed to visit tomorrow, so you'll have that to look forward to. If we find out anything, we'll definitely let you know. The doctors will be here in a bit."

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**  
DECEMBER 25, 12:04 EDT  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE SIX

Batman stood in place, staring over the records hovering over him. The electronic screens were lit up with all of his intel, the relevant information he had already delivered to the League's communicators. Hal had already sent an update through the ring, explaining that he was on his way.

"This is bad," Wonder Woman declared as she arrived, the machine glowing gold behind her as she flashed into existence.

The actual Flash arrived in the next moment, nodding in agreement. "This is an event that could be a catastrophe. If only we had discovered the intelligence faster!"

Batman shared his opinion; he had berated himself for missing the obvious clues, but eventually accepted that these things take time. Even so, he still hated that it was coming down to the wire.

Superman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter all arrived within a few more minutes of each other, all their expressions grave. "Bruce, give us the rundown. Explain to us what we need to know."

Batman nodded and was about to begin, but the screen suddenly lit up with a video message, displaying a certain blonde king sitting upright on his hospital bed, halfway in uniform and forcing himself to change. His girlfriend stood next to him, trying to help him into the skin-tight orange suit.

"You guys aren't doing this without me," the man said, before wincing.

Martian Manhunter immediately saw his pain and shook his head. "No, Aquaman. I'm afraid that we cannot jeopardize your health further by allowing you to take part in this mission."

The man's face sunk. "Why not? I've already seen the specs! This is my kind of mission!"

Batman was grateful that he wasn't the elected leader, so that he didn't have to be the one to convince Orin to remain in rest. Once J'onn was finished and the now-fully uniformed Aquaman looked dejected, Batman highlighted the screens that were important.

"Hidden across the world's oceans are what Bedlam called 'seismic disrupters.' The Day of Reckoning refers to his plan to induce incredibly powerful tsunamis all around the world, wiping every major coastline and allowing his country to survive. Despite the fact that we took him down," Batman sighed lightly, "he still activated his plan." A countdown clock appeared, revealing a little less than six hours. "We have this long to find the seismic disrupters and deactivate them using these." He held seven chips in hand, small circular devices with a light attached. "These will integrate into their systems and stop their power flow, shorting them out."

J'onn looked at him in curiosity and astonishment. "Can you narrow down their locations?"

Batman nodded, glancing ever so slightly in the direction of Orin and Mera in the video screen. He waved his hand, displaying the map where seven red blips were located, scattered in every major ocean. He didn't know the Atlantean geography, but he imagined that they corresponded partially with the seven city states' jurisdiction.

Lantern stepped forward slightly, displaying the same map on his ring. "These locations are very specific, but have a small percentage of error as well as that the exact location might be difficult to find. They are cross-referenced with the ring's scans and Batman's findings, and I am positive that they can be tracked down in time."

"The information has been stored to your communicators, as well as a kind of location signal where you can find them," Batman declared, before looking to J'onn.

The Martian glanced at him and then at Orin and Mera, and the man was standing very painfully but was on his feet. "The six of us will deal with the locations in the Altantic, the Pacific, the Mediterranean, and the South China Sea. Whoever finishes first will cover the Indian Ocean."

After another moment of consideration, the Atlantean king stood up. "No. I refuse to sit this out. The seas are at my command, and I will acknowledge this threat in a way only a king can." The phone call ended before they could say anything.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
DECEMBER 25, 15:16 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE SIX

When Naruto heard chatter that the king had arrived, he practically dropped everything he was doing and swam as fast as he could toward the palace. The Conservatory was mostly deserted during the week of the Solstice, so he passed through without incident.

He didn't pay much attention to the troops who all seemed to be heading in the same direction, but he didn't let that stop him. However, when he heard what one of them was saying, he was shocked.

"Word is that we have to stop some kind of earthquake weapon from destroying the surface-world."

Naruto swam closer, trying to remain a bit casual, but as they continued their conversation, he was stunned. Apparently, the King had called as many soldiers and mages as he could muster to spread around the globe to stop a plan to create tsunamis.  _This is what the king deals with on those mysterious "missions" every day?_

Slipping away from them, when he finally arrived at the purple-walled palace made of a mutable coral, he found his usual secret entrance and crawled inside, slithering through the tight opening and popping up inside one of the basements.

At this point, it wasn't hard to get back to the throne room; he wondered if he would ever tell Orin about that obvious security flaw or not, because no one stopped to check you once you were inside. He hadn't snuck into the palace in years, so no one expected him, he supposed.

Swimming as silently as he could muster, he finally charged through the room, instantly proud to see Orin standing before several of his generals, some of them members of the other kingdoms. He looked like he was constantly wincing, and he didn't doubt there were bandages wrapped around his body underneath his clothing.

He tapered off his joy the second he heard Mera walk into the room, and by sheer instinct, he hid behind one of the columns lining the chamber's walls.

"Coordinate well and use the intelligence carefully," the king ordered. "No one knows the seas like we do, so we must handle this situation accordingly and with haste. As of now, we have five and a half hours."

The redhead stood next to the king. "I'm going to suggest we send the highest-trained mages in groups of six to each of the locations alongside the soldiers. In case something goes wrong and the League is unable to stop one of the disrupters, there will already be capable people on site."

Orin nodded. "Do it."

Naruto frowned, thinking hard. The only thing he could actually think about was the fact that he wanted to go, but he didn't even know how to start. He could ask, but they would say no... The seven-year-old eventually just smiled and knew he could follow with Hippothoon.

Naruto could help, he was sure of it. They'd be glad to have him once he was there, and he was practically giddy with anticipation. He was going to help Atlantis and the surface world as a whole! Aquaman would be proud of him.

* * *

 **MEDITERRANEAN SEA**  
DECEMBER 25, 18:33 UTC+1  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE SIX

Wonder Woman flew hard and fast from the shores of Paradise Island, hands angled in front of her for maximum coverage and already thinking about how she was going to handle it. Orin had communicated that Atlantis was mobilizing to deal with this threat, and she couldn't help but feel a little jealous that they were able to bypass their prejudices to do something good for the outside world. She wondered how much convincing it would take for the Amazons to have helped this situation.

She received the alert on her communicator to reveal that she was getting close, and figured that the device was deep below her anywhere from a few miles around her. However, she smiled lightly when she found an Atlantean soldier sitting on the surface of the water, a woman dressed in blue armor and a helmet, holding a spear in hand.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Diana," the soldier said in gratitude.

"And I to you," Wonder Woman said in sincerity; seeing a female highly decorated soldier was endearing. "Have you located the device?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes. We have stood guard in case of a failsafe or some kind of defensive system, but our regiment is waiting on you."

Diana nodded, pulling a rebreather from her belt as well as the deactivation key. "I would allow you to handle it, but only I know of the location where to place it." The general seemed to understand, and Diana plunged into the depths like a knife through butter.

The ocean had always confounded her, from nearly her whole life. It had been a kind of prison, a kind of barrier preventing her from exploring her options and potential. Only when she left the island could she truly understand Poseidon's domain and all the mysteries found within.

"Flash to Justice League, device four has been deactivated. Heading to pick up the extra deactivation key from Mount Justice and then heading to the location in the Indian Ocean."

 _Acknowledged_ , she thought carefully, wishing she could say it without the rebreather.

She swam only slightly slower than the soldier did, but the pressure began to get to her, as tough as she was. She encountered more Atlanteans along the way, all scattered in a formation that allowed them to cover all sides. When she finally sighted the seismic disrupter almost thirty minutes into the descent, she was partially astonished that she was on the ocean floor at all, even if this was not a particularly deep segment.

She dared not remove her rebreather, instead waving lightly to some of the Atlanteans to signal that she was ready. The disrupter was active but had not begun its process. Scanning the information on her communicator, she found the notch where the device's control was located. She placed the circular deactivation key on the notch and waited.

The light lit up with bright red, before it began moving on its own, sending what looked like roots on a seed into the device. She knew it was establishing a connection circuit to remove its energy flow, but she didn't understand how it worked.

"Wonder Woman to Justice League," she said calmly as she rose from the deep, "Disrupter three has been deactivated."

* * *

 **INDIAN OCEAN**  
DECEMBER 26, 07:35 UTC+7  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE SIX

Naruto supposed he shouldn't have assumed he would get away with coming, especially when he realized that he was following the group of mages and soldiers that Mera was traveling with. The woman nearly gave him a heart attack and did spook Hippothoon when they crossed out of Poseidonis's territory, traveling into Lemuria. She had snuck up on him on her own hippocampus.

He had begged her to allow him to come, to at least witness what Orin's duty as Aquaman was like. He didn't want to turn around. He had promised not to get in the way and to only observe. After a long moment, she submitted but he had to stay right by her side at all times.

The device they were trying to find was impossible to understand; he had never seen anything like it. Surface world technology was odd. Because of how far away they had been, it had taken nearly four and a half hours to arrive, but once they were there, they had tried lots of things to take care of it on their own. Nothing worked, and no one had delivered the deactivation key yet.

"Why isn't there something else we can do?" Naruto asked once more.

Mera sighed, her hands shaking so much because she was nervous. "We can't risk destroying it, because if we didn't manage to do it right, we could activate it."

Naruto frowned, but was interrupted from responding when Mera placed her hand on her ear, a complex earpiece of air-breather technology there.

"Understood," she answered, turning to the other Atlanteans and reverting to her native tongue. "Batman has just deactivated the last device. This is the only one that remains, and the Flash and Green Lantern are very close."

Naruto wished he knew who they were. The knowledge of the surface world was limited, and Orin had never mentioned them before in his stories. He assumed they were superheroes too, but couldn't confirm it.

A few minutes of anxious waiting later, and knowing they had precious moments left, a bright flicker of green light streaked above them, and there was a whir of red and yellow, all coming toward them. Naruto's shoulders tensed, flinching as they came in very, very fast. Two men appeared, one covered in an aura of green light and the other in a similar aura, connected to the odd emerald ring on the one he assumed was Green Lantern.

"Sorry it took so long," the ring-wearing superhero said. "We might have trouble getting this one to work. They have become progressively more difficult to deactivate, because the key has to assimilate. The ring says it's a kind of layered failsafe built into the devices."

"Shouldn't matter, just hope this works." The other superhero, Flash, sped over so fast that he nearly disappeared from sight, a blur of red and yellow appearing behind him. He was still connected to the Lantern's ring that seemed to protect him, and attached the little device they were looking for.

For a paralyzing moment, nothing happened and Naruto wished he knew something to say. Mera looked pale, her fingers trembling.

In the same instant as the huge machine hit the ground with one its powerful pistons, the ground started rumbling hard under their feet. A huge crack immediately formed, running as far as the eye could see, and Hippothoon lurched away from it like it was the worst thing in the world.

"Shit! It's activating!" Flash said, looking to the other superhero. "Destroy it!"

The crevice grew and Naruto didn't know what was going on, but when the ground suddenly shifted as hard as he could imagine, the pistons moving hard, he looked immediately to Mera.

"We failed, didn't we?"

Green Lantern aimed his ring, immediately surrounding the entire machine in a huge bubble and lifted it away from the ground. "Not yet we haven't. Mera, I don't suppose your people can help me stop a tsunami?"

The redheaded Atlantean was on the verge of tears, and Naruto couldn't fully grasp what was going on. The ground continued to move, even without the device in place, but everyone was moving around so frantically he didn't know what was happening. The waters seemed to rush around him somehow, in an inexplicable way.

When everyone but the hippocampi was suddenly planted in a huge bubble of green energy, not unlike the one carrying the machine, Mera clutched Naruto's hand for support. He squeezed it carefully as the Lantern gathered everyone out of the ocean, heading so fast that he was starting to want to throw up.

They burst into the sunlight, and the green sphere flattened into a platform, removing all the water and forcing the Atlantean soldiers who didn't have legs to lay flat. Naruto had to admit that seeing the ocean from this angle was odd and weirdly familiar, like he had seen it before.

"This is the epicenter, and the wave has already started to circle outward," the Lantern explained, before showing a diagram of green energy and what the wave would look like if it came to full term and hit land anywhere. The way they were animatedly talking, he didn't fully understand what the significance of this was. He had never seen the aftermath of a tsunami, but he knew he couldn't let that happen.

"Mages, to me!" Mera immediately shouted, as the team of five behind her suddenly gathered in formation. Naruto stepped toward the machine huge ocean floor machine and out of her way. "We're going to siphon as much of the force from the water as we can. Perhaps we can save as many lives as possible by making the wave less powerful. Hydrophilic vortex directly on the epicenter, full power. Vaporize it."

Naruto watched as the mages lined in a circle, the green energy platform turning into a ring leaving an opening directly where the epicenter was. They joined hands and Naruto felt useless.

"I wish I could help," he muttered, as the spell began and Mera guided it, her tentacle tattoos sparking to life. Immediately a small spiral of blue water gathered, glowing so brightly that it seemed stronger than the sunlight from up close. He didn't know the spell or even how to start training to perform that spell.

"The League is heading here right away," GL explained, before activating his communicator. "The ring has mapped where the energy will travel if the Altanteans aren't able to stop it from forming. Superman and Martian Manhunter, head to the locations on your minimap and do everything you can to stop the water." He turned to the Flash. "You too, but be careful. This is going to be powerful." The fast superhero zipped away immediately to prepare for where to go, going so fast that he ran along the water itself, much to Naruto's shock.

The spell continued as the mages chanted, and the spiral began to do its job. More and more water gathered in one place, and soon enough, the light from the spell spread as far as the eye could see through the ocean below them, lighting up the surface of the water as everything was drawn into the spell. From what he could tell, they were trying to absorb the distortion in the ocean that the earthquake caused, even as it spread for dozens of miles in minutes. The sphere slowly extended, growing more and more as it sucked in the water around it, until the Lantern had to expand the circular platform to prevent it from washing over them.

The sphere began to vaporize at the top, instantly turning into steam and heading up into the atmosphere and turning into a cloud. He turned toward the sphere itself and held up his own hands, knowing the incantation to this simpler spell. The bubble of water that was gathering began to vaporize a bit faster thanks to Naruto's effort, his relatively new tattoos glowing brightly.

He prayed to Poseidon that it would work, deciding that that was  _something_  he could do. He was glad to help, even if it was only something as simple as this.

They must have chanted for nearly twenty minutes, but when the spell broke as their exhaustion mounted, Naruto practically had to run forward to catch Mera before she collapsed. The Lantern caught the rest of the water and evenly dispersed it, as though through a filter to cause rain over several moments. "We failed..." she muttered. "I could still... feel the wave."

"You're right," Green Lantern said gravely. "The largest wave is heading toward Indonesia right now, and but the League should be able to siphon some of the damage. We're going to stop that wave."

The superhero didn't ask, immediately moving them in that direction, the floating platform carrying the Atlanteans zipping through the sky over the ocean. Naruto had to admit the foreign feeling was enjoyable, if odd.

It must have been twenty minutes before they arrived very close to landfall. Naruto could see the solid ground just on the edge of his vision, several kilometers away.

"It's coming very quickly," Green Lantern said, before finally pointing ahead. On the horizon was the large wave, not having fully formed yet but still getting bigger. "I'm not letting it cross this line! I wield the most powerful weapon in the universe for a reason!"

Without warning, a huge wall of green light shimmered into existence, extending what looked like two to three kilometers long, tethered to the ring. Naruto gaped as the sweat poured on the man's face, running along the mask around his eyes. It continued to extend and rise, even as the powerful wave of water rushed at it and crashed on the ocean's surface, the sheer volume of water astounding.

The Lantern's platform where they were standing suddenly broke, shocking the resting Atlanteans and Naruto especially. "I'm sorry! I need to concentrate on this. Get to shore immediately!"

The Atlanteans swum as fast as they could swim, and Naruto was almost glad to be back in the water. He had faith in this powerful man, that he wouldn't let the wave crash into the shore. When they finally arrived on the beach, any people who were still waiting even after seeing the odd green wall burst into life, and the oncoming wave, were shocked to see them.

The soldiers ordered people to flee, and Naruto was suddenly aware he was way in over his head, and had been this entire time.

" _Ibu_!" shouted the voice of a little girl. " _Ibu_!"

Naruto turned to see the black-haired little girl running around the beach gear, trying to find someone. She was crying and scared, but didn't seem to understand what was about to happen. If Green Lantern's wall fell when the water hit, they wouldn't make it. He looked back to Mera, who was conversing with the other mages and soldiers, and was likely trying to come up with another plan for how to get out of this.

Immediately, they heard a great crash and Naruto instinctively ran toward the little girl. He tried to soothe her, tried to yell for the other people on the beach to get out of there. But it wasn't to be.

The wave immediately smashed into Green Lantern's barrier and destroyed it, most of it rushing over the top and causing it to fall apart. He braced himself and stood in front of the little girl, and when the wall of water and destructive force was mere feet from him, he held out his hands as the child clung to his leg.

He couldn't think about anyone but the girl. His tattoos blazed to life, and a dome of pure wind suddenly blurred to life, spiraling around and around his body with a shimmering silver glow. His vision went fuzzy and then more focused, but he didn't dare lower his hands to wipe at them. The girl cried out for help again, clutching him tighter, and he couldn't believe what was happening.

The wind held, the water parting around him and even above him, washing completely around him. He didn't realize he had been driven to one knee, the girl's hands around his neck, as the raging waters continued for several long minutes.

He couldn't hold it... After another moment, something eased his effort and he opened his eyes, seeing Mera standing in front of him, her famous manta ray water construct surrounding them. His tattoos faded and he gasped for both air and water, gills clutching.

Naruto took a deep breath from his nose, looking over to see the little girl looking with wonder at the pretty colors, not understanding the gravity of the world around her. When the spell faded and the waters fell once more, would she understand the death around her?

Better yet, would he?

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
JANUARY 29, 16:23 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE FIVE

Orin paced back and forth, preparing for the council meeting and holding the scroll in his hand with a prepared statement. The Elders wouldn't like it, but he was going to give that to Lois regardless. He could imagine her headline: "ATLANTIS HAS DEEP SENSE OF PEACE." It would be next to the bottom front page news item about Batman's comment that the heroes may work together more often in the future, although the League was still hidden for now.

All seven members, alongside a huge workforce of Atlanteans, had spent the past month helping to stem the Asian crisis. Indonesia was the worst hit location, but several other countries had much more minor waves crash into them. According to Hal, it could have been much worse, but it was almost impossible to fight nature's course, even when the initial cause was man-made.

Analysis of the seismic disrupters, once GL had collected them, revealed that each disrupter became more powerful than the last as each was taken out in sequence. Batman worried that some kind of AI could have been involved, but GL didn't find any trace of it with his ring's usually spot-on analysis. Coming from Bedlam and his cybernetics, however, it would certainly make sense.

He blamed himself for this entire situation. He blamed himself for getting hurt fighting Bedlam back in November. He blamed himself for not recognizing when the Baron placed his disrupters into his own oceans. He blamed himself for not being able to work with the other Leaguers to hit all the disrupters at relatively the same time; instead, someone had to hit two instead of just one. He blamed himself for Naruto's involvement.

Sighing, he wished he had time to talk to the boy about what happened, but he didn't. The second the tsunami itself ended and the clean up began, he forced Naruto to return to Poseidonis. He was so proud of his surrogate son for having the ability to save a complete stranger; it reminded him of when they found the boy inside some kind of crystal meteorite.

When the Elders finally called for the meeting and for him to come in, he frowned. Orin already knew what they were going to say, to which he would reply, "The cat's out of the bag now; they know Atlantis is real and there's nothing we can do about it."

He was glad to have gone public. Having Atlanteans at each disrupter site, shared from Orin's communicator, allowed the Leaguers to find the disrupter faster, especially if they had enough time to find it. And then he was proud to use his armies and even civilian volunteers to save people and help repair damage in the Asian world, and that wouldn't stop just because of how they feel.

He could understand where they were coming from one hundred percent. The surface world was a dangerous place and they were inviting danger by maintaining contact with them. But Orin was going to be an advocate for his kingdom, and its best interests, and its best interests were to protect the right for others to chase their interests. That included the surface world, no matter what twelve old people said.


	6. Impure

**POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 2, 15:31 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Naruto held his hands together, watching as the water swayed around him, adding to the effect of the entire class. On the dais, the luminescent sphere of water rose, and then immediately changed shape, creating several distinctive figures. Within moments, the group-spell had created a crude miniature replica of the city, a fantastically concerted effort that took a lot of precision.

The blonde glanced across the platform and met Tula's form, but she was turned to the boy to her left and tried to coax him to do better. His tattoos only faintly glowed and required the use of water bearers to anchor his magic, showing his relative inexperience. He had gotten to know Kaldur quite well during the past few months when he joined the Conservatory, but sorcery was not quite as easy for him as it could have been.

When one of the buildings of the city-wide replica began to shake, a nursery from the looks of it, it was clear who was responsible. Naruto tried to overextend his own control, to support Kaldur's efforts, but as he did, the street near the palace immediately collapsed.

He sighed and tried to repair the street as well as stabilize it, but his magic was too taxed trying to support both Kaldur's ministrations and his own. When Kaldur's nursery dispersed, the rest of the spell began to crumble.

"All right, let it up," Savenna suddenly demanded, much to the gratitude of everyone. The complex spell faded and quite a few people in the circle were grumbling, the hint of overexertion on their features. Naruto wasn't exhausted in the slightest, but he felt for most of the class. This was relatively advanced stuff, and not everyone in this group had as many years of experience as he did.

"There was a significant lack of detail," the instructor explained in an admonishing voice the blonde boy knew very well. "As each person is included in the effort, another layer of complexity must be established. Many of you were unable to meet the expectations of everyone else, either in detail or focus. Do better."

Savenna was going to dismiss them after a long day of perfecting it, and Naruto had already begun to get ready to leave, when a familiar voice spoke up. "But how can you fight with this?" Naruto glanced up to see the dark-haired boy looking at her earnestly, a hand on Kaldur's shoulder.

The instructor smiled. "There is much more to life than combat, Garth, contrary to what your other instructors say. You know as well as I do that sorcery has many applications, and none of them are exclusively for fighting." She glanced around at everyone else. "This form of spell is used to create a projection of an image. This could be used for entertainment, for art, for architecture, and many other aspects."

Tula cleared her throat. "You could also cast a glamour to disguise your presence, or use it as a distraction."

Savenna nodded. "Exactly. It has a myriad of applications that are relevant. While you might not need to know how to recreate a model city on your own, you could hide an important object on a mission." When her own hidden tattoos activated, glowing green water began to surround the hand she raised. Within moments, the light faded, only to reveal that her hand had completely vanished.

The class clapped as she dropped the effort, but Naruto had mixed feelings. Even then, he wondered if he could adapt a similar spell to his more advanced wind sorcery. Savenna dismissed the class, and Naruto immediately swam across the circle to join the others.

"Thank you, my friend," the dark-skinned Atlantean said with a small smile.

Naruto shrugged. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'm glad to help." Kaldur's smile deepened, but there was something bubbling under the surface. Doubt? Shame?

"So are we on for dinner tonight?" Garth asked the three of them, referring to their favorite coral diner. Tula's face brightened at the thought.

"I am not certain," Kaldur said. "There is something... upsetting me." The older boy suddenly sat down, prompting the rest of them to follow. Naruto couldn't understand why he was so down.

Tula tried to squeeze his arm to comfort him. "What's wrong?"

After a long moment, the boy met her gaze. "This is just the latest example, but I am considering moving down to the lower class."

"What?" Naruto and Garth said in the same moment.

"Kaldur, you can't do that. We'll be separated!" Tula exclaimed. "We'll pass you by."

"You already have." The look on the boy's face was so downcast. Naruto wished he knew what to say. "You, Tula, are clearly the most skilled of anyone in the class. Naruto, you've got the most experience and your unique sorcery. And Garth, you're the most powerful. What do I have?"

It was Tula who was first to break the silence, but the boy wasn't going to hear it. When Kaldur suddenly jumped off the ground, swimming straight off of the platform, Naruto had to evade the dust cloud. "I need some time alone."

"Wait, what about dinner!?" Garth asked earnestly, looking up at the other's retreating form.

"I'll meet you there!" Kaldur called out, leaving the rest of them unsure of what to think.

No one said anything for several moments, but Naruto looked at the both of them finally. "What do we do?"

"I don't know. This might be something he needs to work out on his own," Tula explained.

"But we'll be there for him either way," Garth finished.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 2, 16:35 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

The Elders stood before him, bickering among themselves about everything he had just said. Orin briefly considered, yet again, disbanding the entire system, but that would be an affront that no noble would ever except. He had enough trouble as it was.

"The Purist epidemic has grown to be much more forceful than anyone could realize," Orin added again. "We must do something to combat these issues, or no one will be able to quell the tide before it sweeps all of us away!"

"Bah, these are unfounded."

"The reports are exaggerated!"

"There is nothing to suggest what you are saying is accurate to any degree beyond supposition."

Orin sighed, considering the evidences before them. His own brother was the one to bring forth the reports and was secured through much of the prince's network of spies. They had never let him down before, and they were merely explaining what they had heard. The Elders were the only factor in this chain who were suggesting anything different.

"We should not take this lightly," Orin repeated. This council was more difficult to deal with than Hal or Barry ever were. "How hard is it to assume that the Purists have some form of leader?"

Another round of disagreement spread throughout the room. "The Purist movement is a movement, not a regime. They lack a centralized authority. This is how it has been since the beginning of the Great Deluge."

The king of Atlantis cleared his throat. "We are going to investigate the claims of the recent attacks, and I am going to leave Poseidonis to investigate them myself."

"You dare abandon the throne at a time like this?"

"The air-breathers have changed you!"

"I am not  _abandoning_  anything!" Orin shouted, loud enough to completely silence the room. He imagined that they could hear him throughout the hallway. "If anything, I am ensuring the survival of _all_  of my people by assuming that this could be a more substantial threat. Queen Mera may rule in my stead, as she has done while I am on duty with the League."

Orin left the room quickly, tired of hearing this antiquated system. He was only half joking a few years back when he asked one of his advisers whether or not abolishing the Elders would be a good thing. Nothing short of civil war would happen as a result, but was there much difference with what could happen in the political climate right now?

He hurried back to his personal office, only half acknowledging the guards posted outside the room. "Chief Science Advisor Vulko summoned for you," the guard explained.

"Did he say what it was about?" asked Orin.

The guard shook his head. "Prince Orm said he would handle it."

When he found himself behind the desk, he took a long moment to try to relax. He decided to bother Vulko later. It couldn't be  _that_ important, or he would have left some kind of message. And he was sure his brother would burst through the door if it was something urgent.

As he leaned back and stared at the ceiling, he would give just about anything to summon Mera to his side, if only for a few minutes to calm his nerves. He knew she was far too busy for that, but the stress was mounting and they could both use the relief.

The latest attacks showed a clear sign of targeting, and the reports whispered of a phantom leader running things across all the kingdoms. What could he do?

He considered the situation and activated the communicator on the desk, quickly verifying his identity with a voice command. "Aquaman to the Watchtower." The screen suddenly lit up, revealing the figure of Hawkwoman standing in front of the holographic display.

"Orin, is something wrong?"

"Well, it's not League business," he said to the winged woman on monitor duty. He frowned after another second of thought. "Perhaps I shouldn't bring it even to your attention, now that I think about it."

The Thanagarian warrior shook her head. "Well, you wouldn't have reached out if you didn't need some assistance. Can I help you?"

Orin reluctantly explained the situation to her as quickly as he could. Shayera listened intently, her expression stoic. "And now I have an entire council who probably all sympathize with the Pursit agenda, but I can't prove what they will not admit publicly."

The alien considered it a moment, rubbing a finger under her chin. "I can relate. Not everyone on Thanagar is born with functioning wings. Some aren't born with wings at all. This purism is exactly the same kind of systemic oppression that Katar and I have seen on our planet. But violence against the flightless is uncommon."

Orin nodded. "Interesting. Is there anything you suggest I can do from your experience?"

The woman smirked and raised her spiked mace. "Thanagar has a powerful police force. Maybe if you put your foot down, you can stop these attacks. And it probably wouldn't hurt to knock some heads in on this council of yours as well. They seem to not consider purism an issue, and if the violence against members of your society is not a problem to them, then it shouldn't be a problem if you violently remove them from any position of authority."

Orin looked at her like she had grown a second head behind those wings of hers. When she suddenly laughed, his brow furrowed. "What?"

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Shayera said, smiling. "In all seriousness, Orin, if these Elders are purist sympathizers, you need to put your foot down. At least figuratively. They sound like they are nothing but trouble as it is."

The king nodded, giving himself a lot to consider. "Thank you for the advice, Hawkwoman. I will see what I can do."

"Any time." The mace swung once around her arm, a mischievous smile rising on her face. "I'd love to see them sympathize with this."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 2, 20:29 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Tula was practically pacing in front of the restaurant, making both Naruto and Garth incredibly nervous and probably upsetting anyone inside who could see them. "He's half an hour late, Naruto. Stop giving me that look."

"If you'll sit down and worry, at least you won't carve a path in the ground below you," he stated. Just to spite him, she kicked off and began swimming in line, flipping back and forth in an effort that looked extremely taxing.

"Seriously, Tula, will you stop? It's not like something happened to him. He just needed to sort some things out," Garth pleaded.

When the redhead finally did listen, planting her butt on the seat outside the diner, she lightly kicked back and forth, so rhythmically that the effect was the same. Naruto sighed loudly and she stopped, sheepish.

"I'm sorry. I just don't like any of this."

"Weren't you the one who said he could work this out on his own?" Garth asked.

"I might have said that, but I retract my statement now," Tula explained.

Naruto just smiled. Kaldur was lucky to have so many people care about him and his well-being.

"I just worry about him. I can't help it," she said after another few moments. "He's an insecure person. He passes it off as being humble, but I've had conversations with him about how he doesn't value himself like he does other people."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.  _That fits too well..._ Garth frowned. "How can he not see what others see in him? Why does he... not like himself?"

"If this is what being a teenager is like, then I don't want to grow any older."

Garth thumped him on the shoulder, earning a pointed teeth-bearing grin. "Shut up, kid. Why do we hang out with you again?"

"Because of my charming good looks and hilarious sense of humor. Ooh, and I'm awesome."

Tula rolled her eyes before laughing. "Whatever you say, Naruto."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes, but it was clear that Garth had something on his mind. "If he doesn't hurry, we'll have to eat without him, or they will cancel the reservation."

Tula sighed heavily, bubbles forming in front of her mouth. "Fine. Let's go."

Naruto nodded lightly and they stood up from their positions, turning to head inside. He glanced backward just as the familiar face rushed into view, swimming toward them quickly.

"You aren't going to eat without me?"

Tula raced forward and hugged him tightly, and Garth shook his hand. Naruto just waved at their display, feeling... oddly alone. Normally, he would never consider their difference in ages, but they were three years older than he was. They were... more tightly-knit than he was to them, so sometimes it bothered him.

Within a few moments, the four of them were seated and already prepared to order their usual meals. Their spot near the back of the restaurant, right along the end of the row of windowed openings overlooking the open ocean. It was truly the best view in the house, and staring at it gave Naruto chills.

"So what took you so long?" Garth suddenly said, breaking the calm that had settled since they sat down.

Kaldur smiled. "I have been doing some thinking-"

"At the coral cliffs?" Tula suddenly asked, reminding Naruto of Kaldur's favorite place in all of Poseidonis.

When the older teen nodded lightly, she smiled. "Yes. You know me well. But no, I have been considering what I need to do and I think I am going to take three days off from school and head home."

"To Shayeris?" asked Naruto.

The teenager nodded. "Yes. I think a visit with my parents will allow me to clear my head."

Garth crossed his arms. "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. A vacation to refresh."

"Exactly. I think it will help me decide what I want to do moving forward."

Naruto considered that, looking at Tula's worried eyes. Kaldur needed to ask his parents whether or not he wants to stay in the advanced class or drop behind. He had to hope it would work in their favor, because not a single one of his friends wanted him to fall behind.

"Well, we're coming with you. I have a few days saved up, and I'm sure Naruto can vouch for us with Savenna to make sure it's okay," Tula suddenly declared.

"I can't make any promises," Naruto said, immediately liking the idea. Kaldur's parents seemed really nice. "But I don't think she would say no. Just so long as we aren't gone long. I'm prepared to beg."

Within a few short moments, everyone started talking about what they needed to pack, if anything, but Kaldur was speechless. "You three would come with me?"

"Of course we would," Naruto said, grinning. "Why wouldn't we?"

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 3, 15:11 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Mera entered the office, her guard stopping behind her. She couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face when she saw her husband. Naruto had just left with his friends after all, and she was worried he would have left already. "Oh, thank Poseidon you're still here!"

The king stood from his desk and embraced her quickly, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Of course. I wouldn't leave without saying anything to you."

The woman's face fell, slightly ashamed she would assume differently. She knew that the situation was difficult. The sixth Purist attack within the past month and a half? It spoke volumes. "What's the plan?"

"I'm heading to Lemuria to get the information directly, rather than through Orm," he explained, before his face lit up with realization of something. "Oh, I almost forgot. My brother will be here to help if you need him. You only have to ask, if something happens that you can't handle."

She raised an eyebrow playfully. "You aren't suggesting that I'm suddenly incapable, are you?"

"Of course not!" The king blushed; she knew he understood how many times she had watched the throne for him before. "I am merely passing the message along from him just in case."

The woman smirked. "Just messing with you." They kissed briefly, before he broke away, forcing himself to leave. She frowned lightly.

"I need to leave soon. The others are waiting for me already, and if I want to get there by morning..."

She smirked and placed a hand on her hip, teasing him with a tiny bit of her exposed hip. "Of course. I'll be waiting for you when you get back." He practically salivated before clearing his throat. She just laughed. "Be careful. Do you know when you'll be back?"

"It shouldn't be more than a few days," he said after a moment. "I will try to be quick."

She shook her head. "No, be thorough. You need to figure out if there's some mastermind out there, and every detail is necessary. Channel your inner Bruce if you have to."

Orin actually laughed before finally walking away from her. "I love you. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I love you too."

* * *

 **SHAYERIS**  
APRIL 4, 10:23 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

The second he swam close enough to see it, the light from the city on the ocean floor caught his eye. It was the first time he had ever seen this city-state, and it was absolutely brilliant. The waters were naturally darker here due to the depths, but the magic lighting the way seemed even bright by contrast.

"I wish King Orin could install one of those Zeta tubes in all the city-states," Naruto said, reaching down to rub his calf and stall their progression.

"Zeta tubes?" The look on Garth's face was one of pure confusion. "What the hell is that?"

"Uhh," Naruto started, trying to think of an explanation. "It's a teleporter. Instant transmission." Garth suddenly understood and nodded, laughing at the idea.

The redheaded girl rolled her eyes. "Geez, you two are such nerds. When is it ever okay to reference that surface-world series?"

"When is it  _not_  okay to reference DBZ?" Garth asked, earning a hand-shake from the blonde.

"I imagine that it would be... straining to have interconnected teleporters for anyone to use," Kaldur explained, thoughtful. "Considering the political climate of late."

Tula was impressed. "At least Kaldur has some sense."

The tallest of their group was swimming considerably faster than they were, trying to get to his home. They were all tired and struggling to keep up with him. Naruto, personally, was confused as to why they swam the whole way here, but at least they didn't try to swim to Lemuria. Shayeris was the closest other kingdom.

He eyed the dark-skinned Atlantean as they descended into the city quickly. Kaldur had always been more military-minded than any of their group; he took to those lessons, and his military service, very seriously. It was just like him to point out the political issues with installing Zeta tubes to connect the seven kingdoms, especially with whispers of rebellion on everyone's mind.

No one would tell Naruto anything about it. The older he got, the more independent he became, the farther he was removed from the king and queen. Mera, with the help of the other instructors of the Conservatory, had raised him, but there was a sort of distance between them now that he couldn't understand. He wasn't bitter about not seeing them as regularly, because he had plenty of things to occupy his time. He merely missed them, and he no longer had an ear in the throne room, so to speak.

Soldiers swam up to greet them, and Kaldur showed his identification as a fellow soldier. Naruto was slightly jealous to see the other boy with that kind of authority, and wondered when he would begin his own service in the military. Tula was, as a female, immune and Garth had served for the standard six months. Kaldur had an extended stay and remained in service for nearly two years.

"It's an amazing city, Kaldur," Tula explained as they escorted them farther into the city. "I haven't seen it since I was a little girl."

The other boy beamed. "Thank you. I do not spend as much time here as I would like."

Naruto swam forward and clapped the older boy on the back. "Well, at least we'll be here for a few days. That'll tide you over for a while." That earned a smile from the more serious boy.

The blonde was merely glad to get to spend so much time away from the Conservatory. His studies were naturally important to him, but he had to admit that he was taking personal advantage to Kaldur's situation. A break would be good for all of them, not just for Kaldur.

After they were finished being verified, the eldest lead the three of them through the sprawling city. Naruto greeted any passing citizens with a wave as he passed, preemptively deciding not to show his teeth. But when he saw an entire family with puffer-fish for a head, he realized that it was considerably more... liberal here. When he did give a toothy grin, not one person flinched at the sight.

When they finally arrived at a small home in a relatively nice neighborhood, Kaldur was so proud. Naruto admired the colorful arrangement of fish living in the coral nests surrounding the building, nodding to them as their primitive emotions flooded his mind. He sent happy thoughts, like the scent of Mera's favorite anemone tea, to them, and they danced around him excitedly before returning.

"We're here," Kaldur said, swimming excitedly up to the door of the red building.

"You should teach me how to do that," Garth suggested as Kaldur knocked on the door.

"How to knock?" asked Naruto, confused as a curious clown-fish danced around his arm. Garth rolled his eyes and pointed, apparently scaring the fish back to the coral bed. "Oh, sorry. I don't think it's teachable, but there might be some spell you can do." The brunette just nodded as the door finally opened.

A beautiful woman with golden hair and nearly the same skin color greeted them at the door, her face so positively bright. Her green outfit went well with her beauty. It was almost staggering, and the mythology buff in Naruto wondered if this was what naiads looked like. If not, they should, because Kaldur's mother was divinely good-looking.

The man behind her had the same shade of skin as Kaldur, and an interesting calming look on his face. An all-purple body suit showed an impressive figure, fitting to him like a second-skin.

"Kaldur'ahm! I am so glad to see you again!" the woman exclaimed, grasping him in a hug like she didn't want to let go. "Those bags under your eyes just won't do. You need to get more sleep!"

Kaldur's father rolled his eyes. "Come on now, pearl."

Naruto, Tula, and Garth all smiled as Kaldur let go of his mother's embrace and finally ushered them inside. "Mother, father, these are my friends. Naruto, Tula, and Garth. They are all in the advanced class."

Tula clasped her hand carefully. "It's good to meet you, Sha'lain'a. You are even more beautiful in person than you are in pictographs."

Naruto and Garth greeted both of them in sequence. "I'm so glad to be here. You have a cool home. This isn't the style they have in Poseidonis." The blonde smiled, and the woman leaned down to the shorter eleven year old.

"You're an observant one, aren't you?" Naruto merely grinned, bearing his teeth to gauge her reaction. When she smiled brighter, his heart fluttered.

"Yes, ma'am. Mera always prides me on that."

Calvin looked at him in surprise. "Mera? As in Queen Mera?"

Naruto waved it off, but it was Garth that explained it. "He's been raised in the Conservatory his whole life. The queen and the other instructors were like his surrogate parents."

"Don't spend as much time with them as I used to, but yeah," he added. "I guess you could say that Mera and Savenna were like my moms..."

Kaldur's mother just glanced at him and then back at her son, but Naruto didn't catch what the look meant. He could assume what the silent glance said, and was glad that Sha'lain'a didn't ask the question that undoubtedly rose to her mind. Most people didn't bother having the tact, and he didn't want to have to explain it if he didn't have to.

Kaldur clapped a hand on his shoulder as he lead them into the home, and Calvin closed the door behind them. "I am so glad that you brought friends home with you, Kaldur. I have got some clam in the kitchen that I can fix if you are hungry."

Tula shook her head, but Garth and Naruto were already nodding. "I don't think we should impose."

"Nonsense!" Sha'lain'a said with a smile. "You're going to be staying here after all, and if Calvin and I don't cook for you, then it wouldn't sit right with me."

"Um... ma'am?" asked Naruto sheepishly. The woman raised a questioning eyebrow. "Do you have anything vegetarian? I don't eat meat."

Calvin laughed. "I have to say, with your teeth, that is a little surprising. But I make a great kelp salad, so no problem."

Naruto beamed, feeling respected.

* * *

 **LEMURIA**  
APRIL 4, 11:21 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

The scene of the latest incident had been quarantined by soldiers and was surrounded by a yellow stability spell that would ensure that no evidence left the scene. Despite the fact that the attack happened several

"I still assure you, King Orin," the man beside him said, "my men have already analyzed all of this area. You needn't have bothered with a visit."

Orin merely nodded once. "And King Rajar, I assure you that I am deeply troubled by the turn of events. These attacks  _have_  to be coordinated by someone, and I wanted to personally investigate the crimes."

"Isn't that... a little much?" asked the dark-haired, bearded king wearing a brown robe over his black and silver armor. "Surely the king of Atlantis himself has more important matter-"

Orin sighed as he stepped over the enchanted line, eyes scanning the area. "Is everyone going to question my authority this week?"

Rajar gasped, immediately reconsidering his words; Rajar had never been a proud man, which Orin was thankful for when the seven Kings met at the Kingshead. "I... I am sorry, my King. I did not mean any disrespect. I just assumed that you had confidence that I would investigate fully."

Orin whipped his head around. "And I do. I merely wished to take a glance at it myself. Lemuria is only the latest attack in a series, and I wanted to compare my survey of the scenes with all of the reports I have received."

He knew his tone was unpleasant, but it was a necessary evil. He was, quite frankly, tired of the bullshit that everyone kept feeding him. He didn't think that Rajar was being insincere, but at this point, he couldn't be sure of anything in the power structure of Atlantis. Was it always as unstable, or was this a product of troubling times?

He must have spent hours looking over every finite detail, but it didn't take very long before he caught something that didn't appear to be on the report. When the very impatient Lemurian King finally glanced down in curiosity, the King held a patch of fibers that had disguised itself in the sand below. They were red and black, although the colors might not have meant anything.

"Is that the piece we are looking for?" Rajar asked suddenly. "Could we discover who caused these crimes?"

"Not sure." Orin was admittedly uncertain if it would mean anything at all, but he deposited it into a small shell-shaped box. After another couple of hours of searching, he found nothing more that would actually help. After another moment, he glanced up.

"Get this through a psychometric scan," he said after a moment of consideration. "That should tell us something about the clothing the attacker was wearing, and potentially even the identity of the attacker if there is some DNA involved." He remembered the report, and the victim's clothes wouldn't match the fibers.

When Rajar took the evidence from him and ordered the scan, Orin was slightly proud of himself. He wondered what Bruce would say, remembering Mera's words.

* * *

 **SHAYERIS**  
APRIL 4, 19:03 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

"So how are your studies actually going?" Calvin asked the group in general, but especially locking eyes with Kaldur.

"Well, I suppose," Tula answered first after sensing Kaldur's distress. "I have a lot of trouble here and there, but-"

"Are you kidding?" Garth asked suddenly. "She's the best one of all of us, and we all know it."

It was true. Tula was passing with flying colors, second-only to Garth. If Naruto hadn't had as much time to work on all of it, he doubted he would be anywhere near the most advanced students in the advanced class. Kaldur was the weakest link, but not by much. There were students in the class who were doing worse than he was, but he believed he was progressing the slowest. That might have been true, the more Naruto thought of it.

"Oh really?" Sha'lain'a said, taking a bite of their dinner as they watched the fish swim by them on the patio, the dark blues dancing above them as the sunlight shifted far above. "Tula, I didn't know you had it in you."

"It's all just book work, mostly," she said. "Kaldur's much better with the practical application of spells. He's got a good idea of strategy that most people don't have."

 _That's true_ , Naruto agreed silently. A tiny nurse shark swimming near them looked at him with a puzzling eye, and he realized he was projecting his thoughts too easily.

Calvin gripped his son's arm in a comforting gesture. "That's great. I always knew you were intelligent!"

The dejected Kaldur finally looked up from his plate, giving everyone a look and a smile, but there was no mirth behind it. "I do not agree with that sometimes, Father. I am worried that I will not able to keep up. As each month passes, I have struggled more and more to maintain my studies. I fear I will do better if I shift to the lower class."

His mother frowned. "But Kaldur, surely you can just do extra work to make up for it."

"We will help you practice!" Garth suddenly suggested as the idea ran through his mind.

"In fact, we'll help you right now. Savenna did say we had to do drills, or she would have never approved of us leaving," Naruto explained, remembering the instructor's words.

Calvin clapped once. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

"I am not sure if it will help," Kaldur explained, content to sit in his seat.

"C'mon, Kaldur," Tula said, pleading with her eyes. "It's a fantastic idea. You can show off what you know to your mother and father! It'll be great."

When he didn't immediately respond, Garth suddenly shot up from his seat as the idea struck him, floating a little bit above them. "I know! We can make it like a sparring tournament. That way we can get a piece of the action."

Naruto latched onto that idea; he was always in for a good fight. "I'm in. But I'm not going easy on anyone."

Kaldur eventually agreed, a kind of bounce in his voice that wasn't there before. He seemed excited about it, despite feeling so bad. "All right. But let's do it tomorrow. We need to rest."

* * *

 **LEMURIA**  
APRIL 4, 20:35 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Orin looked up from his position in the meeting room of Lemuria's palace, a dreary place with an open roof that let the natural light shine through. Despite that, the walls were such a dark purple, almost black color that made it very dark, except for the luminescent coral growing along the floor and intervals, almost like torches he had seen on the surface.

Rajar sat in front of him, his thumbs rattling, and they were discussing more light-hearted matters. As the night grew later, Orin was growing more and more impatient and their conversation had died down. How long would it take for a psychometric scan? He, personally, had not had to use that kind of scan before. Part of him wondered if it would be a good idea to call Zatara, because the League's expert thaumaturgist would probably be able to fashion much faster results.

When someone in a robe, most likely from the Conservatory, was ushered in and flanked by two guards, Orin stood from his seat at the same time that Rajar did. "Do you have proper results?"

The mage nodded lightly, her expression incredibly gaunt. "The fabric's memories were... difficult. More difficult than normal objects are to discover. But there was a microscopic amount of blood near the end of one of the fibers, most likely from a small scratch that the victim managed to place on the attacker. We were able to isolate it with magic and analyze it, and we know who it belongs to."

Orin raised an eyebrow when the mage didn't finish. "Who?"

"The former King of Nanauve, Chon'draka."

* * *

 **SHAYERIS**  
APRIL 4, 23:00 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

The coral cliffs in his hometown were much brighter and more impressive than anywhere in Poseidonis that claimed to be the same natural phenomenon. Most of the Atlantean city-states were built out of natural coral reefs, and then augmented by sorcery to be used as shelter and food. The place where the city ends and the ocean begins is a huge drop-off, and everything around it was so beautiful and deep. The only light came from the city, but it was enough to even illuminate much of the ocean around it.

He held up the water bearer in his hand, his tattoos bursting to life once more. In mere moments, the water formed around him until it solidified into a bright blue replica of the nursery. At this size, it was easy to maintain, but when he began to expand it in size and generate multiple buildings to surround it, the entire spell crumbled into dark nothingness, like the open ocean before him.

He slammed a frustrated hand against his knee, wincing from the pain of such a heavy hit.  _That was stupid._

"I knew you'd be out here."

Kaldur turned to see his mother approaching quickly, a half-smile on her face. "Hello, Mother."

"We haven't gotten much of a chance to talk," she said, her expression kind. "How are you doing?"

"As well as can be expected," he said truthfully, downcast. He couldn't avoid how he was feeling, even with all of his friends around him making him feel better.

"Talk to me, Kaldur'ahm," she said earnestly, bumping into his shoulder with hers and then sparking the biggest grin. "Tell me how you're feeling. I'll do what I can to make it better."

Everything hinged on this moment... to tell her everything or to not tell her everything. He feared no _real_  judgment from his own mother, but there was something... irking him of late, and he didn't think he had anyone to talk to about it fully.

"I feel so inadequate," he finally stated, his stomach twisting in a knot that wouldn't go away until he opened up. He pushed those feelings away and settled for the more obvious issue at hand. "My friends are all these incredible sorcerers-in-training, who will grow up to be resources for the Conservatory of Sorcery and Atlantis as a whole. I mean, Naruto is a natural wind mage, and those don't happen often. Tula has all these amazing skills, and all of Garth's spells are naturally more powerful. Did you know Tula was the youngest student to ever master her tattoos to the point where they aren't visible?"

"No, I didn't, but now that you mention it, I didn't see hers. I wondered if she just didn't have them yet, but that doesn't make any sense," Sha'lain'a admitted.

"I feel so unimportant, unimpressive. I don't even know what I'm good at, and no matter how many times they say otherwise, it never feels true."

There was a long moment where all his mother did was listen to the waters swirling naturally around them. A silver ray floated by, staring at them for a few seconds, and Sha'lain'a suddenly frowned, turning away from it.

"Kaldur'ahm, this is what growing up is all about," she explained. "You don't have to have all the answers right now. You're still young and have a long life ahead of you. When we hit challenges or obstacles that seem impossible to surmount, you merely have to ask for help. As wonderful a person you are, you will always have people around you who are willing to help you.

"What you're feeling right now is temporary," she continued. "These classes are just an obstacle you need to overcome, and I assure you that all of your friends will be there for you along the way. And you know what?"

"What?"

"I will be too."

Kaldur grinned, instantly feeling better about more issues than just one. "But what do I do about my curriculum at the Conservatory?"

"There's no shame in dropping to the lower class if you truly feel that is what is best for you," she explained. "It might take you twice as long to get to the same point that the others will reach, but if you become a better mage because of it, perhaps that is what you need to do."

Kaldur considered her words. "So you want me to drop the advanced class?"

She shook her head. "I want you to do what you think is best for you."

"No pressure then," he said, earning a laugh from his mother.

"Let's get you to bed. You've got quite a bit of sparring to do in the morning, don't you?"

He nodded. "I'll be back in a minute."

Focusing on his magic, the spell activated and there was suddenly a crude glowing model of Tula and Garth's heads, spinning around in front of him. His eyes were drawn to both of them, each for different reasons, but when his gaze settled on Tula, the spell on his right water bearer faded away.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 03:29 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Vulko's mind was fluttering, staring at the impossible results before him and practically shouting with glee. If there was anyone else in the Science Center, he doubtlessly believed they would think he was crazy.

Perhaps they were onto something, as he started at the scroll, looking at the print-out of the amount of power. It was more than he had ever imagined, and it had absolutely no side-effects. There was no influence on the environment, only harmless forms of radiation, and the amount of power sealed within it was palpable to the touch.

He had spent the last several hours poking and prodding it, trying to understand it with his equipment. After all, he'd spent nearly eleven years of his life working on this project. This was just one of many positive breakthroughs that have happened over the past several years. But this was the first time he had viably created it from only a tiny amount of scratch materials, and it seemed relatively stable.

"Amazing..." the scientist muttered under his breath, the clam-sized brick of orange-red crystal partially glowing as the artificial light ran across it.

This was a power source that could revolutionize all of Atlantis! And to think that a tiny baby from another dimension delivered it to them; it would have to be strong to shield an infant's journey through dimensions. Vulko furiously noted that it could, quite literally, change the entire world of energy infrastructure, glancing over his packet of notes. Hidden amongst those pages were the processes that could create more, and if he had several more years of research, he could easily speed up the process.

The scientist stood up from his seat and swam around the room excitedly, realizing that his entire body was too stiff from sitting in that chair for so long. He wanted to swim to the palace to tell the king, but it was in the middle of the night and the king was out of town. He felt odd telling Queen Mera about the development; he didn't have the same relationship with her, but he respected her just the same.

Vulko finally resigned to explain it to her in the morning, after he had several hours of rest. Swimming down to sit in the chair, he began to log his latest thoughts in the journal that had documented his entire career.

He barely managed to inscribe the last word before a sudden shot of pain hit his chest. Vulko glanced down, only having barely enough time to see the three-pointed gold weapon sticking from his chest. Blood flecked across its surface, leaking onto the paper and his last thought was how he was going to clean that from his notebook.


	7. Edge of the Current

**ATLANTIC OCEAN**  
APRIL 5, 03:56 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Once the crystal and all of Vulko's notes were sealed within the black container, a unintelligible crimson circular sigil burned into the surface. The man influenced what small amount of magic he possessed, the blood of the dead man at his feet clearing away with a faint glow of purple light. Neptune's Trident gleamed in his hand, now cleared of any evidence and vibrating lightly under the power of Vulko's life force swimming under its surface.

"It's a pity," he said, teasing the bearded corpse with his foot. "You shouldn't have rushed to share your results."

The man held up his wrist, pulling back a hidden panel on his dark blue armor to reveal a communicator powered by a combination of technology and magic to work anywhere. "L-5 to L-7."

The screen activated, revealing the angular silhouette of the Lord of Chaos. The image cleared to show his tiny red eyes, face contorted with rage. "Yes? What did you need? I was busy with another task; do you know how hard it is to find a Martian who doesn't want to be found? By the way, that helmet looks incredibly stupid."

Ocean-Master scowled behind the helmet, his grip tightening on the trident. Klarion merely smirked at seeing him so tightly-wound. "I have the crystal and all of Vulko's documentation."

The wizard's face rose and he looked practically giddy, laughing. "Of course!" Without warning, he snapped his fingers and a tiny black and red portal swallowed up the container from his very hand. "It's back at home base. The others will start on it right away."

Ocean-Master nodded, still slightly irked at having to deal with the timeless Lord of Chaos. A sudden thought ran across his mind. "Hey, can you perform that trick to get rid of the body?"

"Which one?" After he sighed, Klarion got the message. "Oh! Gotcha. I can take care of that for you. Sixty seconds."

"Wait, what?" Ocean-Master watched in abject terror as the room started to grow warmer, a tiny red blip appearing in the water at eye level above the center of the room. The blaze was powerful, the flickering flame no larger than a candle, but far hotter. As he watched, it seemed to start expanding at a rapid rate.

"Fifty-five seconds."

The prince-in-disguise got the message, immediately swimming up and cutting a hole through the roof with the trident, a burst of controlled lightning reducing it to nothing. An image of Vulko ran through his mind as the life-force stored within the trident was expelled. Ignoring it, he swam hard, trying to get as much distance between him and the building.

Mere moments later, when he found himself hidden behind a huge stone outcropping, the Science Center and everything within it suddenly exploded, black and red energy reducing everything to ash. A shock-wave of water rushed over him, destroying the walls of nearby buildings from how powerful it was as it spread into the city.

"Do you _have_  to be chaos personified with every action you take?"

The Witch Boy laughed into the communicator, sending a chill down Ocean-Master's spine. "You should have seen my mother." A moment passed before the Lord of Chaos cleared his throat. "How goes our little pet project?"

Ocean-Master merely smiled. "The piece is in place, and because of that, I'm ready to make my move."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 05:12 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Mera held her crown, running her fingers across its golden surface. She could feel her heart beating incredibly fast in her chest, the adrenaline of the situation burning away any state of sleep she had been in. A sigh passed through her mouth before she lifted the crown, placing it back on her head.

 _This is worth it,_  she reminded herself.  _You are the most powerful person in this city right now. You have the authority. Do it for Orin._

Soldiers came in and out of the area, running messages to and from everywhere across the city.  _No one is safe until I can help them find the source of this explosion._

Stepping toward the cloud of hot ash, she called on her magic to become a source of light. A disgruntled eel swam by, probably unable to really understand all that had happened. If Orin or Naruto were here, perhaps she could have them ask.

Brushing that tangent aside, the water around her began to swirl until the entire scene was encapsulated in a huge dome of water. Bright blue tendrils extended from her control and began to seek out inconsistencies, washing over the entire space and poking into the cloud of dust.

In the corner of her eye, Prince Orm suddenly appeared, his face aghast but determined. "I've sent the message to my brother. Do you think you will discover anything with that?"

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "The water will find what shouldn't be there if there is a trace." She was thinking of explosive residue or perhaps even the source of the depth charge that caused this. "Order everyone to stay in their homes. We don't know if this is the end to this attack."

The prince nodded, swimming backward to the great ring of civilians that had been separated by a line of soldiers and mages. She heard him repeat his message, but no one seemed apt to understand or even move. "If you do not leave now, I will ensure you'll never leave the inside of a prison cell again for a crime against the crown." Orm's voice seemed even-tempered and confident, and Mera felt a sudden sense of loyalty and pride; the spell seemed to respond in kind, glowing ever so brighter. "Your queen has made an order that you  _will_ respect."

When they began to leave, military escorts followed as the impromptu curfew began, forcing all civilians to remain indoors until the immediate danger was gone. Mera wouldn't let anyone else lose their lives because of her bad judgment. That would reflect on her legacy and on her husband's, and she wouldn't stand for it. The crown had to mean  _something._

"What do you wish for me to do about the Elders?" asked Orm from her side, watching intently as her diagnostic spell continued.

She frowned, considering her options. None of them were good. "Stall them until Orin returns. I'm sure they won't risk their necks by coming out on the streets, so let them stay where they are, out of the way. You and I will handle the situation later."

The dark-haired prince nodded lightly. "Did you hear... what they said? It's awful."

Mera furrowed her brow. "What?"

"Orin's Science Advisor is dead," he explained. "He was inside the center when it happened. Everyone else had gone home, but he stayed behind, working on one of his solo projects." Mera nearly lost control of the spell, meeting his gaze with wide eyes. "I visited him in Orin's place yesterday morning, and I can understand why he was attacked."

"What do you mean?"

The prince just shook his head. "He said he had something to show Orin, something connected to Naruto. He wouldn't let me see what it was, but I have my suspicions."

Mera focused harder on the spell, if only to clear her mind a bit to try to understand what was happening. How could this have anything to do with him? He wasn't even in the city.

* * *

 **NANAUVE**  
APRIL 5, 09:08 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Orin swam as hard as he could, a feat that tested his endurance and proved his dedication. He had been moving non-stop for hours, and his heart was beating fast. The city stretched out before him, mostly made of giant outcroppings of rocks with very little coral. He wished he had time to enjoy it, but the situation couldn't call for it.

"Let me through," he said automatically, not bothering to take the time to explain when two border patrol guards approached. They nodded, allowing him to pass under the magical dome surrounding the city. "I have official business with King Nanaue."

The dark-haired soldier, a young woman with the lower half of an octopus, peered at him, a gleaming sword at her waist. "He was not aware that you were coming."

"Of course not. This is very last minute, ma'am," he explained. "I'm afraid I cannot divulge the reason for my visit to anyone but your King."

She looked smug for a moment, before turning to let him pass. "At least you acknowledge that  _he_ is my King."

He stopped suddenly in front of her, not turning to meet her eyes but held the intensity in his face. "What's your name, ma'am?"

She didn't skip a beat. "Hilana."

"Hilana, do you enjoy serving Atlantis?" Orin turned to look at her pointedly.

After a short moment of consideration, eyes wide at his facial expression, she nodded. "Yes, I do. It's the most important thing in my life."

He met her gaze. "That's great. But that means that serving me is the most important thing in your life. You'd do well to remember that."

The Poseidonis native swam away from the soldier, and Orin was silently proud of himself for how he handled that. It didn't matter which of the seven kings one served; they also served him, and they should not forget it.

When he found the rocky, angular palace, apparently word had spread, because King Sha'ark was already outside waiting, surrounded by a small escort and a few aides. "It's good to see you again," Orin said. "Can we speak inside? We have quite a bit to discuss."

The man nodded, his shark-like head tilting forward as he did. "Of course, King Orin."

* * *

 **SHAYERIS**  
APRIL 5, 9:31 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Naruto paced outside the home, waiting on the others to finish their breakfast. He was already preparing hand-to-hand drills, wishing he was slightly better than he was. Even so, it was helping him warm-up for the small tournament they were going to have, and he was pumped. Kaldur had been in a much happier mood all morning, probably because of relaxation with his parents; being around Mera and Orin in private usually calmed him the same way. Garth and Tula were merely happy that Kaldur seemed much more like his usual self. Although Tula had asked him multiple times if he was okay, almost like an overbearing mother.

"Are you ready?" asked Garth, coming out of the house and tying up his hair.

"Of course I am," he answered. "How are we going to do this? Flip a drachma?"

Garth looked at him quizzically before smirking. "Yeah, that makes the most sense. We can figure out who will fight who first."

"Whom," a voice corrected, revealing Tula with a smile on her face as the door behind her closed. "Kaldur's almost ready, and Calvin and Sha'lain'a are going to watch."

Naruto was getting more excited every time he considered it, thinking about the situation strategically. He sized up both of the other three, thinking about their obvious strengths and weaknesses. Or at least, he would be if he could perceive any. He wasn't sure if he had the right kind of brain to figure out a strategy targeted to each of them. But even so, he didn't stop trying.

But when Kaldur and his parents suddenly burst out of the home, everyone turned to see their frantic and worried faces. "I have been summoned to Poseidonis," Kaldur explained, a kind of sad look on his face. "Someone has destroyed the Science Center, and murdered the Chief Science Advisor to the crown."

 _Vulko?_  Naruto thought as his shoulders tensed, alarmed. "Why? Do they know who did it?"

"No," the older boy said, before turning to his parents. "I must leave immediately. The city needs me. Can you help them get situated to return late-"

Tula shook her head. "Oh, no, we're coming with you."

"Exactly," Garth added. "They need all the help they can get. How bad is the damage?"

Kaldur didn't know, but Naruto turned away from the scene for a moment and was stricken with worry. He tightened his arms around his chest, trying not to think about his worries. Tula must have noticed, because her hand squeezed his shoulder.

"I'm sure the King and Queen are safe. We'll see them both when we get back later today."

Naruto gave her a smile. "Yeah, of course they are. They are both far too powerful to go down that easily."

* * *

 **NANAUVE**  
APRIL 5, 9:33 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Orin tapped his fingers on the table as he watched the man in the chair across from him, obviously alarmed by the information. The room was made of dark marble, a flame-like ball of coral lighting it almost like Bruce's fireplace.

"It's not possible," King Sha'ark explained, teeth bearing as the anger swelled. "My father is dead."

Orin took a moment to consider that information, because it did seem impossible. After all, Nanaue had received the crown upon his father's passing, and if the man was somehow still alive, then his son had no claim for the throne. Chon'drakha had certainly never abdicated his rule.

"The evidence was indisputable," Orin confirmed. "Chon'drakha was the one who has contributed to the Purist murders in several of the kingdoms. After the DNA was confirmed in Lemuria, I cross-checked it with other data and it all matches." He nearly shuddered when he remembered the brutal evidence in the other psychometric scans.

Nanaue sighed and didn't say anything for several seconds, his mental gears turning. "Why are you calling him that?"

"Hmm?"

"Who in their right mind would name their son after a deity?" Nanaue said with indignation, and Orin made a mental note to ask Diana about that later. "His real name is Kamo. He began calling himself that when he took the crown, and made it illegal to utter the name given to him at birth."

"So he named himself in the likeness of a god?"

"Worse," King Sha'ark said, looking up. "He believed he  _was_  a god. Chon'drakha, the Shark God of myth, reborn." The man rolled his eyes. "If this is true, I suppose he  _is_  a god because he escaped death." The king laughed lightly, but there was no mirth behind it.

"How can we confirm that this is true?" asked Orin. "Where was he buried?"

The king laughed again, before reaching into his shirt to reveal what looked like a massive shark tooth. "He wasn't. We sent him off in a capsule to wander the oceans forever."

"A warrior's funeral?" asked Orin. The custom was outdated and a little bit blasphemous in the eyes of the very Greek society they lived in. In most of Atlantis, people were buried in the ocean shelf below, to add to the beds of coral with their nutrients.

The man nodded. "Yes. My father was a unique person. But it doesn't matter; we can trace him with this tooth. I keep it on my person at all times, to remind myself to carry his legacy."

Orin wanted to ask him why he would want carry the legacy of a lunatic, but decided it would be in bad taste. That was likely a bit of bias against the other kingdoms leaking into his impression of history.

"So we do a scan, just to see if he's alive. What do we do then?" he finally asked. "How do we stop him from killing again?"

The young king shook his head. "No. If he is miraculously alive again, then I will handle it."

"And I will help you," Orin added firmly.

Nanaue bared his teeth for a moment, a nearly terrifying sight, before he sighed. "Fine. If you insist, I cannot stop you in interfering with my personal business. But I assure you, Kamo was powerful. I'm not sure if you and I can defeat him working together. He might not have been a god, but he had the power to decently back up that claim."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 11:14 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Mera stood confidently before the Elders, her crown firmly on her head, as they convened within the magically-enforced bunker. She supposed that no one would attack there because no enemies knew about it, and all signs pointed toward an isolated incident.

It was interesting to see the twelve council members in a different setting; there was no large U-shaped table that looked imposing. All of the members were sitting haphazardly around the small room, faces alit by the green protective spells on the walls that matched Mera's clothing. The small room was eerie, filled to the brim with rations. A seemingly exhausted servant stood on either side of the door, ready to deliver any kind of service that they required.

"You wanted to speak to us, my Queen, my Prince, so get on with it," the head of the Elders explained.

Mera met Prince Orm's gaze and finally cleared her throat, before addressing the room. "We have confirmed that the explosion was caused by outside magical means, of an otherworldly-nature." Her words were careful and concise. "It was not a plot of anyone wielding Atlantean sorcery, nor was it some kind of air-breather technology. If it had been the latter, there would have been some kind of bomb-casing found at the sight. The building and all of its contents were completely eradicated, and Chief Science Advisor Vulko was presumably caught in the explosion."

"Presumably?" asked the only female member on the council.

Mera frowned. "I say that because we found no trace of him, and he has gone missing."

"Any attempts to magically or physically search for him are in vain. We can only assume the two events are correlated. Vulko was completely destroyed as the building was," Orm added, a sickening look on his face. Mera felt the pit of grief rise in her stomach, and she forced herself to hold it all down.

The council didn't bother chattering like they usually did, but they all shared glances among one another to try to absorb this information. "You said it was 'otherworldly' energy."

"Yes," Mera nodded. "We know it was magic from elsewhere. There are tons of scrolls about theoretical extra-dimensional energy in the Conservatory's library."

"Other dimensions?" asked another incredulously. "How are we supposed to beli-" The man's eyes widened. "The demon."

Mera gasped, unable to contain the outburst.  _Naruto...!_

"Surely it cannot be related," Orm said immediately, making her more confident. "Naruto is not in the city."

"Yes, he left yesterday with three of his friends of the Conservatory to visit Shayeris," Mera confirmed, her unease dying away as she remembered it.

"Convenient," said the head member, earning a few nods from the other Elders.

"It's been eleven years, my dear Elders," the prince explained, backing up her claims. With every word Orm said, she felt more confident; she would owe him a lot after this. "There's never been any sign of odd activity in the boy. Nothing that could ever suggest he is capable of creating this damage."

That seemed to go over as well as she had expected.

"What about his wind sorcery?"

"The Curse of Kordax!"

"He's from another dimension, just like this damned magic!"

Mera was horrified, an image of the boy's spiky blonde hair and beautiful eyes running through her mind. "No! You're all wrong. This was confirmed by Poseidon himself! None of those things are applicable here. Are you questioning a god's judgment?"

She hoped the last line would get them to rethink their words, but she was conflicted herself. She believed one hundred percent that Naruto could never be the cause of this. But Mera remembered Poseidon's warning that they wouldn't be able to predict how people would react to his eccentricities. People who didn't understand those facets of Naruto would assume that he was cursed, destined to ruin everything he touches. It was nonsensical.

"Elders, please, consider the facts. Naruto has nothing to do with this," Prince Orm stated, before looking to Mera with an almost apologetic look on her face. "However, I do know for a fact that Vulko was researching something connected to Naruto shortly before he died. He tried to bring the results of this to my brother's attention, but the King was meeting with you at the time and then left the city before I could meet with him. I talked with Vulko instead about his results."

There was a long pause before the head of the Elders looked at him expectantly. "And?"

"He succeeded in recreating the," Orm paused, trying to collect his words, " _crystal_  that surrounded Naruto and protected him when he arrived here."

All twelve members went slack-jawed for several seconds, a few gasping. Mera couldn't contain her own shock, anger rising to the surface because Orm didn't warn her of this ahead of time. That was dangerous knowledge, and had potentially dangerous consequences. Why would he keep that from her?

She hated agreeing to allow Orm to help her in that moment; she should have taken care of this mess herself. Naruto would have been safe, and she would have been able to proudly handle it. The one time something awful happens in the city, Orin has to be away from it when it does.

Her eyes widened with realization _. Of course! It can't be a coincidence! The attack was planned by someone in the city who knew Orin wasn't here._

"This crystal, if I recall, was the manifestation of the demon Naruto's parents were trying to destroy," said one of the council, sparking even more shock when it was spoken aloud. "Why would Vulko want to revive a demon!?"

"It must have destroyed the Science Center!"

"And I bet Naruto made it happen!"

Mera couldn't believe any of this. It was all so impossible, and the implications for Naruto... they were horrible.

"Elders, please, understand," Orm explained. "This organic crystal could revolutionize our energy output in Atlantis and potentially the world. It was highly energetic, but had no real will. There was no intelligence hidden within it. Vulko merely wished to tap into it, for the good of all."

"And it led to his death. I'll bet anything that this demonic entity was unstable and destroyed him!"

Mera was practically pleading with her eyes at this point, but all of her mental faculties had frozen. Her heart thumped in her chest, fingers twitching lightly in the water, as she tried to understand what was happening.

She turned to the prince. "I need some air... I can't comprehend any of this."

"It's just like a woman to run away from her responsibilities."

Mera whipped her head around so quickly, tattoos blazing as the water swirled around her. She took in their terrified faces, even as Orm grabbed her arm to steady her and prevent her from doing anything rash. It was in that moment that she finally let go of her magic, watching everything die down. Mera took a long, deep breath.

"You think I'm running away from my responsibilities?" She gritted her teeth, the unbridled rage forcing her body to quiver more than the fear ever did. "Who is it that's hiding in a bunker right now?"

* * *

 **ATLANTIC OCEAN**  
APRIL 5, 13:44 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Orin gripped the hippocampus beneath him tighter, feeling its unbridled emotions as it strained to move at top speed. The small undersea current pushed it along, helping it move more quickly, but it was still expressing its relative exhaustion in his head.  _C'mon, girl, keep moving._  The hippocampus seemed to move faster in response, but it could only go so fast.

"How far are we now?" he finally asked to the other King, who was holding the great tooth within a tiny bubble of enhanced water between his hands.

"We're here," Nanaue Sha'ark explained, his teeth showing for a split second from his own hippocampus who was secretly terrified to be ridden by a man that looked like he did. Orin had been sending consoling thoughts the entire time, just to get things to move more quickly. "Down below us, maybe fifty decameters."

Orin angled the creature downward, and the second they exited the current, the water movement seemed to calm. Down below them was what looked like a huge crevice in the ocean floor, a trench that looked improbably dark. The King of Atlantis had to shake his head to keep moving closer, trying to understand.

"You're going to let me take the lead on this," Nanaue said as he moved past him, letting go of his hippocampi. Orin did the same, and both creatures seemed to sense the impending danger and flowed back up to the current, lazily zipping past them.

"Of course," Orin declared, knowing that this was family business. Finding out that your father was alive was complicated, especially when you knew he had died. Orin wondered what it would be like to have discovered that his own dad was still alive. "Did you ever get to see him fight?"

Nanaue looked back at him, a smirk on his face. "Yeah, I did. If this isn't a trick, we're probably going to die."

"Why didn't you bring some of your warriors along with us?"

"Because if anyone stands a chance in this, it's the two of us and no one else. I don't want anyone else's deaths on my hands."

As they moved closer, the water was considerably darker than above, and the only source of good light was King Sha'ark's spell. After a moment of consideration, they approached the beginning of the trench and immediately felt swallowed up by nature.

The water was slightly warmer against his skin, and he glanced to the other king. "There must be magma deep below. Probably not a lot of it, or it would have lit up the crevice. How deep is this thing?"

"The spell would take too long to cast to find out," Nanaue said dejectedly. Orin couldn't help but feel slightly jealous at the other man's ability to use sorcery. Neither he nor his father had ever been able to do so, but both Kamo and Nanaue could.

They kept going for several minutes, following the tooth like a beacon, but Orin knew they were near perhaps before the other king did. The wildlife was suddenly silent, and a group of unintelligible fish swam up out of the trench so fast he got whiplash trying to follow.

Orin was almost scared to look down, but when he finally did, he saw the hulking figure swimming up to join them, his lit only by the small amount of sunlight drifting from above. Nanaue turned toward them and the light grew brighter. Orin kicked through the water and gripped the side of the trench, before pressing off with all of his body weight.

He shot through the water, knocking Nanaue out of the path of the monstrous man's jaws. They nearly collided onto the other side of the small trench as they righted themselves, and Nanaue gave only a quick nod of thanks before they both turned to prepare for the next assault.

Floating in the water before them was the man who called himself Chon'drakha. He possessed a staggering similarity with the shark-like traits of his son, but his head was rounder and smooth, faded white lines jagging across his body. The dorsal fin was much thinner, only protruding slightly from his neck. The almost naked body was impressively built, his skin dark blue and covered with black lines. Orin noted the black and red shorts, nearly ripped to shreds; that must have been where the fibers came from. The man's claws were terrifying, and his body was impressive.

"Father?"

Kamo made no sign of reply, nor any sign of recognition someone had said anything at all. The shark-like man began to glow, an odd tattoo he couldn't place, before disappearing in a flash that would give Barry a run for his money. Nanaue barely raised a shield of hard-water in time to stop the sorcery-enhanced rush, but it was still enough to send the other king flying into the wall of trench.

When the enemy reached back a fist and prepared to deliver it into his son's torso, Orin swam forward and grabbed onto the arm with both of his own, careful to ensure Kamo's claws were pointed away from his body. Heaving with all of his might, he attempted to break the man's arm or dislocate his shoulder, but it was to no avail.

The strength of the man's arm was impossible to ignore, and Orin was forced into the ocean shelf only feet away from him, a clawed hand digging into both of their necks. If not for Orin's thick skin, he was almost certain that Kamo would have ripped open his jugular.

The former king roared loudly, all of his rows of teeth bared, and Orin realized the creature was powerful enough to hold him down. The man eyed both of them, his sharp hands causing blood to trickle down Nanaue's neck, lit up by the failed attempts to do anything with his tattoos.

"Father! Stop this!" the son struggled to shout.

Something must have clicked in Kamo's mind, as he met King Sha'ark's gaze. But as he opened his mouth to form intelligible speech, nothing came out, and Nanaue made his move.

A huge jet of water suddenly formed independent of the other king's body, slamming into the so-called Shark God's left side so hard that he was sent hurtling through the ocean. Orin lurched from the wall as he was dragged along, but used the moment of confusion to peel the creature's claws from the bruises on his neck.

Orin didn't let go of the monster's hand, immediately spinning to throw him so hard into the rocky wall that some of it cracked apart, a cloud of dust filling the water.  _That broke his wrist for sure._ Kamo drifted downward for a moment, before his speed-enhancing tattoo activated and the left knee slammed into Orin's chest so hard he fell into the depths of the trench, fading in and out of consciousness as his breath left his body.

His gills struggled to keep up as he watched the two shark-people duel above him. Offensive sorcery collided with the undead king at every turn, hard-water weapons and shields doing nothing but prolonging the fight. Orin managed to catch himself as he landed on an outcropping so hard it nearly cracked in half. The Atlantean king glimpsed down below to reveal the tiny glow of red magma, far below them. Even so, the water was a considerably warmer temperature there.

Orin reached into his belt, thinking through what he could do, as he held up the tiny silver rod. He took a long moment of breath to recover, realizing that his entire abdomen felt bruised, before kicking off the wall of the trench to gain speed. Clicking the rod and watching it extend into a silvery trident, he held it with one hand over his shoulder. "Now, Nanaue!"

The shark king seemed to follow his train of thought, a great blast of water disguising his actual tactic, a shoulder-tackle downward. Kamo was forced deeper, as Orin rose higher. The blonde threw the trident so hard that it impaled itself in the creature's tail, and the Shark God let out a mighty scream.

With a burst of unnatural speed, a blue flash of light only visible to the eye, the great creature's jaws locked around Nanaue's shoulder, much to Orin's horror. The Atlantean King swam higher and pried the creature away from his son, leaving a trail of blood in the water around them.

"You okay?"

"I'll live. Got any ideas?"

"Not a clue."

"Great."

Nanaue fired several blasts of water from his uninjured arm, and each exploded into shards of ice as they tried to make impact. Despite the trident still sticking from the monstrous man's body, his sorcery-enhanced movements were not very well impeded, but it was still enough to slow him down to keep up. When Orin grabbed onto the trident in mid-blur, Kamo screamed again as the trident shifted around, extending the unnatural warrior's wound.

A clawed hand collided with Orin's face in a frantic motion, strong enough to scratch into his cheek. The blood stained the water around the king's vision, and he had to brush it away in time to see the creature nearing him with his jaws. With wide eyes, the Atlantean slid into a perfect boxing uppercut, slamming into the creature with enough force to sending him flipping backwards.

Nanaue was waiting, a lance of water in his hand. When it made impact with the creature's leg, it expanded into ice that cut into his shins, forcing Kamo to scream again. Another rope of water turned into ice, connecting with his torso and instantly solidifying. More and more ice covered him, pointed spikes delivering relatively shallow wounds into his thickened body.

In the next movement, Kamo reached back and grabbed the trident, the strength in the movement enough to snap it in half. The pointed end of the trident sunk deeper into the chasm below, much to Orin's annoyance. The other end was thrown in Orin's direction, but it was easily dodged; the creature was getting desperate.

Nanaue cried out as the huge layer of bright blue water slammed into Chon'drakha, instantly covering the rest of his body in a solid layer of ice. Orin let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in when the creature didn't move again, and began sinking toward the bottom. His son created a hard-water tether, connecting the creature to his hand and preventing from sinking farther.

"Will that hold him?" Orin asked, staring at the wound on the other king's shoulder.

"I doubt it," he said automatically, brushing a palm over the bite mark where a veritable chunk had been ripped from his shoulder. "But I'll have to hope."

As though to prove his son wrong, Kamo suddenly struggled and broke free, a roar escaping from his mouth, but Nanaue was instinctively ready. A great jet of water from King Sha'ark's jaws blasted into the father, hitting him so hard he lost consciousness. The jet didn't stop, moving faster and faster until Kamo was going so fast toward the bottom of the trench that Orin realized it was too late.

The magma must have engulfed him as he hit the bottom, and he shot a look back at the other king. "What did you do that for?! He was alive!"

"No." Nanaue turned away from the trench. "No, he wasn't. He smelled like death. It was foolish to think I could capture him."

"But we could have saved him! Your father had a chance again!"

"That wasn't my father," he explained as Orin finally joined him at eye level. "That was just a corpse. Do you really think that man would have Purist tendencies considering what he looks like? There was a puppeteer out there making him do what they wanted, and I am glad to cut the strings."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 14:21 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

"I bet the city is on curfew," Tula said as they passed through the gate and into the dome. Naruto agreed, and Kaldur nodded.

"It's the sensible option," he added. "No one is sure if another attack will happen. You three had better return to the Conservatory just in case."

"Are you sure?" asked Garth, uncertain. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind an extra hand. I've had my stint in the military as well, you know."

"I know that, Garth. When I get more information, I will find the three of you."

When they finally passed over the ridge overlooking the city, a solider approached. "What are you doing?"

"The four of us have been visiting my family in Shayeris," Kaldur explained, showing his badge. "I was summoned back to the city when the explosion occurred. Can you give us an update?"

The woman looked at the three of them carefully, before returning attention to Kaldur. "You should report for duty at Administration. The rest of you should return home or to one of the safe locations marked in each sector of the city."

Naruto ran through those options, realizing the Conservatory was the best option. That was home for him, after all, and would likely be well-defended. He hoped to see Mera, but he was certain she would be too busy at the palace directing the city on lockdown.

The three of them broke off from Kaldur after a wave, heading toward the huge domed building. "I hate being out of the know," he muttered. "I can tell they are keeping things from us on purpose, whether it's a good thing or not."

"For what it's worth, Naruto, you do look a bit young," Garth said as they swam. "It's a little odd to share precious intel to a short eleven-year-old."

"Whatever," he muttered, overlooking the horizon of the city. A part of it was missing, and it appeared the entire Atlantean Science Center was just gone. Vanished completely in the explosion, but it didn't appear to damage any of the buildings around it.

As they approached the Conservatory, Tula shook her head suddenly, stopping. "I need to go find my parents. I don't know if they are at home or at one of the public safehouses, but I can locate them for sure."

Naruto nodded, understanding. "Go for it. If you can't find them, come back here."

"Yeah, we'll wait for you inside just in case. Be safe," Garth said, earning a smile from the girl.

The two boys approached the Conservatory, and it was not a surprise that D'istar answered the door. "What the hell are you two doing?"

"We returned from our trip when we heard about the explosion," answered Garth as the man ushered them inside. "Do you know anything else?"

The man shook his head. "No, everyone's been pretty tight-lipped so far. We've been on curfew since this morning, but we do know there haven't been any more incidents like before."

Savenna swam up to greet them, hugging Naruto once. He hugged the older woman back, a huge grin on his face. "That's good. Maybe it's just a matter of time before they let us go," the blonde answered as he turned away from her.

"Yeah, maybe," D'istar answered. "But in my experience, we could be holed up like this for days if they can't figure out what happened. Uncertainty and all. Eventually, life will turn back to normal again; it always does."

The idea of the entire city on lockdown for several days was not reassuring. He turned to look to Savenna, but the woman had already returned to the other students who were under her care in the great room of the Consevatory. Naruto frowned lightly, understanding that his parental figures had their duties but feeling neglected. Perhaps that was selfish, he wasn't sure.

Naruto sat down next to Garth against the wall, and Topo swam over to join them. The squid-faced boy was oddly bright and cheerful in this time of duress, which was a welcome sight considering how insecure the boy usually was.

"Did Kaldur work through his troubles?" the boy asked. "I could tell something was wrong, but didn't know how to approach him."

"I think he's all right now," Garth said. "Maybe. It's hard to read him sometimes, when he doesn't want you to."

Naruto had to agree, although there were far more moments when he wore his heart on his sleeve. "Yeah, he's probably fine now."

"Good," the boy said, and Naruto surveyed the room. He caught Ronal's eye, and there was something slightly nervous about the blonde boy's expression. He'd have to play up that fear the next time they had to spar in class.

"Sucks that our matches were interrupted," Garth said, earning a grin from Naruto.

"You should be glad of that, because you would have been flat on your back in a few seconds."

Garth raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what makes you think I would allow you to do that?"

"Because you suck."

Garth's retort was cut off when the walls suddenly shook, the sound of a nearby explosion sending a wave of water to rattle the building.


	8. Wrath of the Divine

**POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 14:59 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Ocean-Master spun the golden trident around in his hand, already channeling power into the weapon built for a king, a tool designed by forces man can never hope to reach alone. The helmet's heads-up display, augmented by Luthor's technology, outlined the weaknesses of the city he could see below him, and each of the four sectors were primed for attack at any moment. He already knew them by heart and understood where the structural weak-points were in the ocean-floor below, but the helmet added a new dimension. In the heart of the city lied the amphitheatre, and beneath that, a secret weapon that had lain dormant for several years.

Someone swam up beside him, dressed in royal attire and an ornate crown on his head. Orm rolled his eyes, glad that Rajar could not see beneath the helmet's protection. "Our forces are ready at all points."

 _Our?_ Orm inwardly considered, but did not comment. He turned to see the dark-haired man who had been surprisingly easy to convert. He had always been under the impression that his brother was a good king, when looking objectively. But Orm knew he could do better, and the second this was over, there was no way he would allow this man to keep his crown. Rajar would join his brother in death.

"Good. The second the dome falls, everyone will descend from above before it can reset," the future king supplied, and Rajar nodded. "Go back to Lemuria."

Orm looked back to see the forces that King Rajar had risen against Poseidonis, mixed with sympathizers from the other city-states. He'd received a particularly large number of soldiers from Crastinus, and served as the bulk of his own personal forces. They were well known for their Purist king, if you knew who to ask.

Situated around the city at nearly the same depth level were three other groups, all disguised by the same level of magic. It was a small but formidable force, that much was true, compared to the might of all of the capital city. But that was where his friends came in.

Orm smiled even considering it, as he held up the device in his palm, the red button teasing him with the power that would surely mimic Poseidon himself.

"Today is a new age for Atlantis! Tomorrow is a new age for the surface world!" Ocean-Master held up the device for all to see. "And the next day, beyond!" His finger snapped over the button, and for a tantalizing second, nothing happened.

Then a sound reverberated so loudly that it sounded like a huge explosion, and Orm watched with glee as the ground beneath the amphitheatre was destroyed, cracking it in half and splitting the entire shelf in two. Buildings collapsed, homes destroyed, but when the water seemed to realize the ground had been disturbed, a wave of pressure slammed into the very top of the force-field, and only the most structurally-sound buildings could possibly have survived the water swell.

When the wall of sorcery in front of them suddenly flickered and then shattered out of existence, Ocean-Master and his forces descended upon the city like sharks in a feeding frenzy.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 15:00 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

It was through sheer instinct that Tula managed to throw up a bubble of hardened water, glowing brightly with cerulean-blue light. The wall of water, displaced by the incredibly loud earthquake, hit her so hard she crashed through the water, unable to catch her bearings. When the girl collided hard against a rock shelf, it was only through the grace of her sorcery that she survived the impact.

She shook off the rough landing, pushing herself off of the unstable ground to swim up, just as the dome collapsed and vanished. "Oh no! Mom! Dad!"

She continued to swim through the area, not fully comprehending as she passed into the residential sector, watching the buildings crumble like they were nothing. She tried to force herself to look away, but on the third home she passed, a little girl was crushed by the wreckage.

Her heart sank, realizing that the odds were slim. A few people were milling about, seemingly surviving only through dumb luck, and the cries of suddenly grieving parents and children brought tears to her eyes; the bulk of the city would be in the fortified bunkers, and that was the only consolation. She was nearly too emotional to move, and she couldn't force herself to be numb with adrenaline. The full force of how many dead they would find later hit her as hard as the displacement of water did.

Soldiers descended on the district, and Tula's hope swelled. They seemed to be from the city itself, dressed in friendly uniforms. She was somewhat relieved for all of two seconds, until she watched one of them spear an old merman with a purple tail, ending his life before her very eyes.

 _Trust no one,_ her mind shouted, as she tried to hide behind some rubble, her eyes focused all around her. If someone found her, they might not consider her a threat, because her tattoos were gone. She was waiting to spring an ambush, because there were far too many around her to fully comprehend what was happening.

Her mother, her father, and all of her friends were counting on her. She had to survive this, for them. For Garth. And she had to find a way to fight back.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 15:01 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Mera swam back and forth, shouting orders from the fortifications of the palace. It had survived the displacement of water, and she knew where she had seen something like this before. The Markovian technology from all those years ago, part of Bedlam's plan, had involved an earthquake-creating machine that could destabilize the seas. This was the only possibility, but how someone had managed to place one of those under their close eye was disconcerting.

"Where was the epicenter of the blast?" she asked, but no one seemed to answer. She suspected it would have been the center of the city, because it would create the greatest amount of destruction. She decided it wasn't important, because one of her aides suddenly shouted that the dome had fallen with the increased pressure.

She knew the mechanics of that far too well. It was the reason why Naruto could never practice his wind sorcery indoors. The dome was never meant to handle inward pressure.

"The backup runes will keep us from being crushed until the dome can be re-established," she shouted, trying to understand any of this; if someone had wanted to kill them all instantly, they would disable those too, so they had to want some of them alive. But before she could do anything, a shadow passed overhead, and suddenly the palace was being stormed by enemy soldiers, and all the soldiers swarmed to protect the entrances.

"Get outside for maximum coverage. Defend your palace!" Everything seemed to click in place: they used the machine to destroy the dome, so they could pass through a weakened city.

She glanced around the room, selfishly wishing that Naruto and Orin were here. But she knew that because they weren't, they had to be safer than this. Her eyes caught the form of a woman in deep prayer, holding up a blood offering to a statue of Poseidon and his wife, Amphitrite. It seemed to shake her out of her reverie, because Mera knew this was no time for prayer.

_This is a time for action._

* * *

**POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 15:06 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Kaldur followed his commander's lead, the small battalion emerging from the only un-collapsed tunnel that ended abruptly in a chasm on the edge of sector two, the market sector, the quake breaking off the real mouth of the tunnel. They swam through it and were immediately met with a squad of enemy soldiers who seemed to know about the tunnel, waiting for them.

He didn't bother thinking as he swam hard, a weapon made of water appearing on the end of his water-bearers. He slammed the bludgeoning instrument against the back of a soldier, swimming out of the way of a spear from another. He latched on with all his might, crying out as he threw the enemy over his body and right into a firefight of blaster weapons.

Kaldur braced himself with the enemy's spear in hand, deciding that his sorcery wasn't something he could rely on for more than small bursts. He spun directly into a group of three.

Easing out of the way of a blaster shot by only a hair, he stabbed forward with the borrowed weapon and managed to catch one of their legs, blood clouding around the man's lower body. Kaldur met the whites of his eyes and immediately froze, realizing that this was a live human being he was fighting to the death.

He couldn't afford to think as he reacted to the man's retaliating punch, getting hit in the jaw before slinking out of the way of a knife. Kaldur reached forward and slammed his heel hard on the back of the man's tailbone. The mage-in-training grabbed the arm and spun, slinging the man off of him.

He braced himself against the rocks behind him and held up both water-bearers, a shimmering oval shield protecting him from blaster fire as his comrades tried to cover him. They managed to cover him and give an opening, and he kicked off toward them from above. A sword of water landed in the enemy's shoulder, sliding in between the plates of armor.

Kaldur didn't have time to gasp, allowing the construct to fade out of the man's chest and praying that it wasn't vital, before realizing they were thinning out this group already. He had a slight moment of breath before realizing that more were coming, and a quick thought came to mind. "Commander, we should fall back to the Conservatory!"

A nod from the man was all he got, before he relayed the order. Kaldur followed the group carefully, using his shield to protect himself well enough as they swam toward the place where all of his friends were. It was the closest building where it would have ready defenders, and they could use their training wisely.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 15:10 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

D'istar refused to allow anyone but the eldest students attack the enemy, but that rule was so stupid that both Naruto and Garth elected to ignore it. A look from Savenna was nearly enough to make Naruto halt, but a scream from outside as someone else was shot down brought him back to reality.

The two of them forced themselves outside and were shocked to see D'istar swimming inside of a giant squid construct, his tentacles moving in and out of the enemy lines and grabbing soldiers left and right, squeezing them in the most grotesque ways. It was the most powerful display of magic Naruto had ever seen, and there was a clear reason that D'istar was known for combat sorcery.

Naruto pressed his palm down and both jumped and blasted a bit of air at the time, streaking upward incredibly fast. He stopped at nearly D'istar's eye level, and immediately began to assist as best he could.

Summoning a blade of wind beneath his palm, he hurled it like he would a great discus, and it spun so rapidly it became a spinning blade. Bubbles poured off of it as it streaked toward a line of enemies, tearing through the first's armor and flinging him into the second. The squid construct grabbed the unconscious soldiers and threw them toward the ground, landing in the middle of a group of students who had followed Garth and Naruto's lead.

Naruto held out both arms and spun, generating a sphere of spiraling wind and water that dissipated any magical projectiles before they could reach him, and then he immediately angled himself toward the enemy lines and propelled himself through the water. Like a huge cannon ball, he met contact with an enemy that was throw off from the force of the spinning vortex, a cloud of bubbles streaking after him.

Naruto shouted as a bubble of defensive magic met his own, and the two spheres of magic ricocheted off of each other. It forced him to stop just in time to throw up both arms. The instinctive repulsed concussive force of the wind and water threw the female soldier holding the glowing sword, her tattoos fading as she slammed into the sandy floor below them.

He swam, holding a diamond shield of wind in front of his body, to where he could sense Garth. The older boy was hiding behind a rock formation with several other students, all of them exhausted.

"They just keep coming!"

The brunette nodded, flinching as a blast of water shot overhead. An older female student Naruto had never met threw up a dome over them, part of the glowing apparatus solidifying into ice. "We need a plan. Where's Kaldur when you need him?"

"We need to follow D'istar's lead," Naruto said, meeting Garth's eyes. "Now'd be a good time to get a handle on that tempest magic you're working on." Holding all the power of a storm in the palm of your hands was one of the most advanced forms of all sorcery, and Garth had the aptitude for it.

The boy shook his head. "Still working on that." The shield above them collapsed as a group of two soldiers cut into it, but Garth's hardened beam of water hit them so hard they nearly disappeared from sight. "Who are they?"

Naruto shrugged. "Doesn't matter. If they shoot at us, they're the bad guys."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 15:23 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Just as one of the soldiers passed her, she smiled and silently thanked Savenna for showing the spell. The makeshift cloaking spell surrounded her body, managing to make it nearly impossible to see her for a limited moment, and it gave Tula the best possible advantage.

She ran along the ground, trying to be quiet and unseen, and it didn't appear that anyone could see her. She knew she could make a difference, but her house was not far away from where she was, and her parents were nearly everything to her. They had to be alive.

Tula passed underneath a firefight as Poseidonis began to fight back against the intruders, and she felt a swell of pride that they were winning and pushing them back. If King Orin would just return, they could drive out their opponents even faster. She made the conscious decision not to get involved, knowing that if her parents had been harmed, they would need her help.

Her heart was pounding when she turned in front of a barely standing building, her own ruined home finally coming into sight. Immediately, rage and concern bubbled up when she saw an enemy soldier ransacking the place.

Tula's tattoos glowed with all the righteous fury she could muster, and a circular array of magical runes lit up the ocean in front of her. Throwing out both fists, huge bolts of water tore through the space between them, and each time one hit, limb after limb, ice formed until the awful woman was stuck to the outer wall of debris, unconscious.

Tula swam with all her might, dropping the cloaking spell. Her heart had skipped a beat just looking at her crushed home. "Mom! Dad!" she cried out, trying to get their attention if they could hear her.

She rummaged through the rubble, shoving rocks out of the way and using her magic to push things out of the way. There had to be someone in there, because her parents had not been at any of the shelters she had checked before this terrible event began. Mom had always been a home body, and they would ride this out in their home before they ever tried to stay in a siege bunker.

Tula cried out again and again, but when someone finally coughed, her heart swelled with hope. Following the sound, she threw herself into the rubble and realized that it was her father. When her magic helped her move a huge slab out of the way, she gasped and the tears began to flow.

Her mother had jumped on top of her father, and her body protected him from the wall's collapse. Her father was barely conscious, but all she could do was scream.

Tula embraced both of them as she and her father cried together, unable to truly comprehend what was happening. "I'm sorry I wasn't here," she repeated like a mantra, holding both of them as tightly as she ever had. Her father couldn't find his voice, but was gripping both of them.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 15:28 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Mera hurled a powerful explosive bolt into a group of enemies, watching as the ground between them was blasted into rubble. She and a group of mages had wrapped the entire palace inside a golden whale construct, protecting it from attack while they stood outside of its defenses, holding that line.

They could see the destruction of the city below them, but she never had a moment to actually examine anything beyond the occasional explosion. The Conservatory was far in the distance, one of the only standing buildings, and she could tell that another group was standing their ground there from her perch.

"Do we have any idea who these people are?" asked one of the most seasoned commanders near there, holding up a metallic shield and a sword.

"They aren't wearing any defining armor," she explained. "They aren't even matching. If I had to guess, they are a group of people recruited from everywhere."

Another wave of enemies appeared in front of them, one of them tossing what looked to be a spiked ball. When it suddenly exploded, two rookies fell to the massive ice spikes that impaled their bodies, and it was only through sheer luck that Mera protected herself with a wall of hardened water.

The commander to her left suddenly gave the signal, and Mera watched as a contingent of a half dozen hippocampi suddenly arced over the palace, and swam fast into enemy lines and dropping weapons and magical projectiles. Mera took the opportunity, waving her hand and creating golden tentacles from the whale, hitting several soldiers hard. Her tattoos glowed incredibly brightly, and electricity arced across them and rendered them unable to continue.

But when another wave of both recovered and fresh soldiers appeared, she cursed and realized that it wouldn't end until the very last one was defeated.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 15:39 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Naruto watched as another person was hit with one of his wind blades, the crescent attack cutting through armor. By this point, every single advanced student was holding a position around the entire Conservatory, while Savenna held everyone else inside.

Garth swam in looping arcs, joined by two others, as he attacked the enemy lines from above cover with huge bursts of water. D'istar continued his construct onslaught, swinging large tentacles and smashing enemies without any remorse.

"It's starting to slow down!" shouted a student beneath him, just as a blast of sorcery collided with the man's chest.

They had cornered most of this force to behind several small formations, opponent mages providing cover for soldiers untrained in sorcery. Naruto's wind magic had no easy counter, and as he tried to think of strategies, D'istar continued to force him into following his lead. He felt constrained, but decided that it didn't matter. Summoning a vortex of wind, Naruto fired it and watched it expand, forcing some of them to scatter. The scattered soldiers were easy to separately pick off one by one.

The blonde was preparing to fire a volley of blades when he spotted someone on the horizon, and almost immediately, there were two forces surrounding the enemy, firing at them from behind. One of the most decorated generals led the charge, and swam with his orca tail into battle with what looked like a warhammer.

"Kaldur's coming!" Garth suddenly shouted from a few meters below Naruto's position, and Naruto did indeed spot their friend among the reinforcements, coming from the north.

Kaldur swam ahead to join them, using a shield to cross the distance, and nodded to both Garth and Naruto. "This is insane. The quake nearly leveled the city, and they're in the process of a city-wide sweep of anyone who might have survived." He suddenly frowned. "Where's Tula?"

Both Naruto and Garth shared a worried glance. "She went to find her parents," the brunette explained, ducking his head from a projectile. He created a small shield to defend them, tattoos blazing. "What do we do? She's out there by herself."

"She can take care of herself," Naruto stated, knowing it to be true. He had to believe it was true. "She's probably sitting inside one of the bunkers with her parents, protecting them." His words managed to make the other two reconsider trying to find them, but there was an uneasy silence.

The reinforcements and the Conservatory students had managed to coordinate their attack, hitting from the north and the south. The three boys stuck together as they rejoined the fight, but a sudden familiar scream alerted everyone. Naruto turned to see a man in strange armor, holding some kind of golden glowing trident. The end of the weapon was impaled in D'istar's chest, able to easily tear through the watery squid construct.

Before anyone had a chance to say anything at all, to even respond to the sudden appearance of the man or the murder of one of the most powerful sorcerers, the trident suddenly arced several lightning-like strikes, attacking everyone all at once. Naruto was one of the furthest away, and it was that distance that might have saved them. His tattoos burned as a sphere of defensive wind separated him, Kaldur, and Garth from the water, and the electrical attack couldn't pass the shining silver barrier.

The attack seemed to conclude, from both this mysterious arrival and any of the other enemy forces, as though they waited for this man's word to continue. The trident's attack had successfully rendered every single one of their allies unconscious or worse, and Naruto was suddenly aware that it was up to them.

"He's their leader," Kaldur surmised, and it all clicked for the blonde.

The three of them were terrified to make any movements against whoever this was, because whatever the trident was, they couldn't guarantee Naruto's magic would work a second time.

"Of course it's you," the man stated, laughing lightly as he shook their teacher's bleeding body from the trident. He was looking right into the blonde's eyes.

"Who are you?" Kaldur demanded. "And why do you presume to know who my friend is?"

"I wouldn't be shocked if I knew more about your friend than even he does." The stranger laughed again. "But alas, this is neither the time nor the place to hash such details."

Naruto didn't let the words have any effect; he was too furious to even think. "Tell us who the fuck you are so that when I bash your skull into that stupid helmet, I'll know where to send an apology card."

The man laughed again. "My name is Ocean-Master, sworn enemy to the crown and to the late Aquaman." Naruto froze, trying not to imagine what that would mean.

Garth raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'the late Aquaman'? King Orin isn't dead!"

"I'll deliver his head on a pike to prove it, assuming that there was anything left," Ocean-Master stated, and Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

The only thing he could see was red, and this was the only chance they had to do something about it. He couldn't imagine that Ori- no, that his father was dead. And he was going to do something about it because this super-villain needed to be stopped, and there was no one else around to do it.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 15:44 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Tula knew she had to do something, because if there was some chance to save her mother and her father, she couldn't let them stay here. Scanning the area around them, she was almost certain that the residential sector had already been checked because she had not seen a sign of any of them for a long while. It seemed empty enough.

"I'm going to save you," she assured her father, summoning her magic as best she could and watching as the water gathered around both of them, holding them like they were wrapped in a purple blanket.

She barely knew where to go from here; her landmarks were all but annihilated. But she was sure she knew where the general direction of the nearest bunker was, and if she was lucky, there would be a doctor or something nearby. She refused to give up hope that her mother could be saved, and her father's legs seemed to be broken from the knee down.

Tula swam as hard as she could, knowing her energy was draining by the second. It took her nearly ten minutes to finally recognize the secret entrance. She saw the signs but no one was going to open the entryway.

"Please! I beg you! My mother and father could both..." She couldn't say the word, but they seemed to see the real fear and sadness on her face. When the magic disguising it shimmered out of the way, she ushered her parents inside the metallic door and followed through, closing it.

"Are any of you doctors?" she begged, voice cracking at every step.

Someone who looked to be a nurse nodded and immediately swam to try to care for them. Tula let him work, backing away against the wall and watching the faces of the broken people below. She barely noticed that she recognized all of them as the members of the Elders, and despite all their protection, the bunker hadn't prevented shaking during the quake. There were three bodies in the corner, only a few meters away from where she sat, and all were members of the council.

"Please, save them both," she said, a mixture of faith and hope coming through. "I know you can."

She didn't know if the nurse could do anything to help either of them, and judging from the way her mother was floating, she knew it was too late. Her mother was gone and Tula felt just as dead inside.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 15:53 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

"Please tell me that you have a strategy, Kaldur."

"I do not."

"Can you come up with one?"

"Not until I see how he fights."

"Fantastic."

Naruto shoved himself forward, blasting wind behind him to move faster. Ocean-Master stabbed forward in his direction, but the wind mage held up a defended arm, his element hardened in an aura around his forearm. The trident slid off, but Garth was suddenly there, a jet of water slamming into the man's armor. It shoved him back several meters, and Kaldur took the opportunity to attack from above, holding twin swords of water with his water-bearers.

Ocean-Master suddenly kicked upward, his boot slamming into Kaldur's sternum. The older teen only managed a small slash across the armored thigh. Garth attacked him again with twin spheres of water, but the trident spun around in his palm and defended himself against both attacks.

"It's pointless. You cannot possibly defeat me!" the man shouted, spinning the weapon in his hands again. More electricity coursed through its golden surface, and the three of them backed away and hid behind a wall of wind. "You can't get close while I wield Neptune's Trident. This weapon is divine for a reason!"

Kaldur's eyes widened. "That's the trident that Orin I wielded when he helped found Atlantis! It was said to be a gift from the gods, but was lost."

Naruto remembered few details of King Orin's namesake's story, but if this weapon truly was divine, they might not be able to do anything. "It doesn't matter. We'll keep trying." He pointed to the two of his friends. "Combination attack."

Garth held up both of his arms and charged a huge spinning bolt of water, and as he unleashed it, runes lit up in front of him. A cyclonic whirlpool was unleashed, twisting through the water toward the enemy. Kaldur held up both water-bearers, his eel tattoos lighting up as electricity coursed through it. An arc of guiding wind gathered around it and spun the vortex even faster, adding enough force that the electric whirlpool became sharp and focused. The funneling spiral had created a riptide.

Ocean-Master wasn't initially worried, but when he tried to dodge it, Naruto guided it in his direction with great effort. The man threw up the trident and tried to generate a force-field of water, but the attack slammed against him and hurled him to the ground, crashing through the small field of coral and leaving a huge crack in the earth.

"Did it work?" asked Kaldur, his body slumped over with exhaustion. Garth was in the same state, but Naruto was, predictably, completely unfazed. He'd never had a problem with running out of energy before, and that was no different there.

But in a couple of short moments, Ocean-Master forced himself to his feet, using the trident as a crutch. His armor was burned, and part of it had been broken apart, revealing wounded skin on his right chest and shoulder.

"I am impressed," the man stated, pointing to the trident. "Had I not had this, I doubt I would have survived. But it's time to end this farce."

Lightning from the trident arced through the water and struck both Kaldur and Garth, sending them flying from the brute force. "No!" Naruto shouted, but he too was ravaged by the attack.

An indescribable pain coursed through his body, his energy sapped by the attack. His skin was scorched by fire and he was certain that he'd never recover. The electrical attack continued as Ocean-Master moved closer, soon floating inches off of the seabed near him.

"I'm amazed you stayed conscious. I suspect that's because of your unique physiology; you have more energy than the average person," the enemy stated, gripping the trident in hand. "I should probably thank you, although maybe your birth parents deserve that gratitude. After all, they have helped us tremendously."

 _Us?_ Naruto thought, before he fully understood what he was saying. Ocean-Master was talking about his parents, his birth parents, like he knew them. Fury flowed through his body, and his magic responded to his emotions.

His skin began to bubble and steam as he enacted his starfish specialization, and the pain of the process was nearly as bad as the pain of that attack. But it lasted a mere second as relief set in, and Ocean-Master gasped as he forced himself to his feet, arms dangling nearly uselessly.

With great effort, Naruto forced them to move, and his hands immediately created a sphere of wind. It spun and spun, condensing into a small form, and his opponent did not even prepare himself for it. In a fraction of a second, Naruto was suddenly rearing back and he slammed the rotating orb into the exposed shoulder.

Ocean-Master screamed in agony, the trident glowing brightly as Naruto screamed in rage. In a moment of underestimation, Naruto's enemy was hurled from him, spinning in the direction of the orb of wind. He collided hard against the ground as the blonde was sent flying back by another electrical attack. When Naruto hit the side of the Conservatory, he immediately lost consciousness.

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 5, 16:16 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Orin had tried to hurry as fast as he could the second he heard, regretting the decision to not install the League's zeta tubes all across Atlantis. He couldn't even comprehend how badly the situation was, from King Sha'ark telling him the report of Vulko's death to an earthquake alert via the Hall and the Cave's scanners. Poseidonis was in trouble and he'd played right into the enemy's hand, going after Kamo when he shouldn't have left the throne.

Cursing under his breath, Orin frowned. The dolphin moved faster and faster, and when he finally found the city, the dome was gone. Everything about this was wrong, and he was terrified. The earthquake had nearly leveled the city, and there were no doubt so many dead. Orin spurned the creature faster, promising him a treat when everything calmed down, and he finally arrived.

The city's guard were fighting enemies that didn't seem to match any particular other city-state, and he couldn't even really comprehend how chaotic everything was. The Science Center was completely eradicated, much of the residential and market sectors destroyed, and a huge trench had seemingly split the city down the middle. Only two huge strongholds were left, the Conservatory and the palace, but the fighting in the former seemed to be over. The palace was glowing brightly, and if he had better eyesight, he could have seen Mera looking ragged but defending against the onslaught.

He didn't know what made him stop, but when he turned back, he realized that he knew someone down there.

"Ocean-Master!" he shouted, fury rising as he sunk to the seabed, running toward the man's prone form. A mage was healing him, someone from the enemy force, but when Orin marched over, the small woman seemingly fled in terror.

The villain looked up weakly as the king approached, but the man managed to force himself up, his right arm useless with an impossibly large flesh wound. It looked as though someone had carved part of his chest away, and if he looked close enough, he'd see the beginning of ribs.

"What is the meaning of this!?" he shouted as he made to grab for the villain. But before he could get closer, someone from the sidelines blasted at him with his gun. The bolt of heated water hit him hard, but did not manage to faze him.

"Stop," Ocean-Master said, sitting up from his perch. "Look around, Aquaman. I won this day, and we did not have to quarrel. Many of your men are dead, your city is in shambles, and your kingdom torn apart from the inside. I only wish I had managed to kill your son and your wife before you arrived." The man pointed with his uninjured hand, gripping the trident.

Orin's eyes widened to see the unconscious and wounded Naruto lying against the Conservatory. "You bastard!"

Before he could do anything, the man just smiled. A burst of red light erupted around him, and Orin threw up his arm to block his vision. When it faded, the man was gone, a black mark left in his place.

An awkward moment passed where the only three conscious enemies remained, still raising their weapons in defense of their leader, but Orin gave them a long look. "Don't bother. You know what the outcome will be."

They surrendered peacefully, dropping their weapons upon seeing the face of the king. Almost immediately after that happened, a few of the lesser students began leaving the safety of the Conservatory, guided by Savenna. Everyone cheered his name, but Orin knew better, forcing them to stop when he raised a hand.

Swimming over quickly, he took Naruto into his arms, checking for a pulse. Relief flooded him when he realized the boy was alive, and he held him against his chest for a few moments. He tried to ignore the tear that flowed down his cheek, but after a moment, he wiped it away.

Savenna joined him, kneeling next to the king. Orin turned to her. "Take Naruto and the rest of them inside, and seal the doors. This battle is over."

* * *

 **POSEIDOINS**  
APRIL 10, 10:29 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

Mera stood by the bedside in the palace, looking over the boy's unconscious form. He'd wake up any day now, from what the doctors all said. Every day, one of his friends had delivered a bowl of boiled wakame for him when he woke up, and the latest was sitting at the end of the bed. Tula was finally beginning the first stages of a return to normalcy after the death of her mother, who had bravely sacrificed herself to save her husband.

Mera and Savenna took turns watching over him, but the Queen's duties conflicted far too often as the days had passed. Reconstruction had already begun, aid given from Lemuria and Crastinus and Tritonis. King Sha'ark himself had arrived in the city only two days ago, to stay until they weren't needed anymore.

Atlantis was in crisis, and her focus was split between the kingdom and Naruto. Guilt washed over her when she realized how little time she'd spent with him on a one-to-one basis during the last few months. That would have to change, and if anyone had a problem with it, she'd slap them. That much she was sure of.

The door opened to reveal her husband, and the look on his face was not good. "What's wrong?"

"The Elders have requested me. From what Orm says, I think you'll want to hear it yourself."

She stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"He didn't say." Orin walked over and clasped the boy's hand, before turning back. "Are you going to come?"

She nodded after a moment of hesitation, placing a kiss on Naruto's forehead. She could spend a few moments away from him, but as she left, she sent one of her handmaidens to find Savenna to sit with him.

As they crossed through the hallways, she could tell that Orin was distracted, but when she voiced the question, he dodged the question. When the two of them arrived, the prince was already waiting outside the door. "Hello, Queen Mera."

She smiled lightly, but she was still a little bit angry that Prince Orm had left her alone during the attack, staying inside the Elders' bunker during the whole affair. She could have really used his help, because she felt personally responsible for everything that had occurred.

The sight of the three empty seats in the Elders' chambers brought a frown to her face, but she didn't have much time to really question it.

As the meeting began, it appeared to be about addressing budgetary concerns and financing the memorials of the one hundred sixteen lives lost, and the hundreds more that were wounded. The city would likely never recover fully, even after much time passed.

The meeting then shifted focus to the prisoners of war that had been gathered, some from nearly every kingdom. The only true link between them was that they had been recruited by Ocean-Master, and many held Purist beliefs. Orin was very agreeable in the meeting, not wanting to conflict with them.

"I'm glad that we have addressed these concerns again, but Elders, what was the purpose of your summoning of me? Was there more news of something else?"

The head of the Elders frowned. "I believe there is no better time than to discuss it while the creature is unconscious."

Mera raised an eyebrow, completely and utterly confused.

"We have made a decision that you are not going to like, but one that you shall not oppose," another said. "If you choose to disagree and refuse to follow it, you will have another power struggle on your hands, and there are already rumors of a conspiracy brewing." The head of the council made a pointed glance at Prince Orm, who nodded lightly.

"It was my suggestion, brother. The topic came up while we were in the bunker, and while you were away," the prince explained, and Mera was not following this train of thought at all. "I believe this option is less draconian than the decision that the Elders had come to before I was involved, and it took a lot of convincing for them to agree with me."

Orin waved his hand. "Spit it out. What is this decision?"

Orm nodded lightly, obviously distressed. "Naruto will be banished to the surface world, exiled from ever stepping into Atlantis again."

"No!" Mera shouted. "We are rebuilding after perhaps the worst crisis in recent history, and you wish to banish an innocent boy?!"

"I will not stand for this!" Orin exclaimed.

The robed prince tried to step in between them, gesturing with his left arm while his right was locked at his side. "You don't have a choice. Please listen to reason. Their fears against the boy are entirely rational!"

"Rational!?" Orin argued. "This is blatant fear-mongering, built on the foundation of a lie."

"In this time of crisis," the head of the Elders said, "we cannot afford another. The demonic experiments that Vulko underwent revived the creature that was supposedly destroyed. He brings a curse upon this city, a curse that would take advantage of our weakened state to wreak havoc!"

Mera was outraged. How could they expect them to throw him away like this? After everything that had happened!?

"It pains me to say that we must be rid of him, for the good of our city and Atlantis as a whole," Orm stated.

"If you continue to refuse, we will follow our initial decision, before Prince Orm convinced us otherwise, to eliminate the boy. Please, my king," one of the Elders added, "do not make any rash decisions."

"Threaten us and civil war will begin. The fate of the kingdom lies on that cursed demon's departure."

* * *

 **WASHINGTON D.C.**  
APRIL 12, 12:09 EST  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

The boy shot awake, sitting up in bed and immediately feeling sensory overload. Air flowed in and out of his nose, and he could smell boiled wakame. He wasn't surrounded by water, but as he looked around the room, it looked like his room. Had it been drained for some reason?

Further scanning of the room revealed that it wasn't the same room. The wall color was off, and it was much larger. All of his books and scrolls were situated around the room, and his clothes could be seen in the small closet. Fluorescent light made the room too bright, and sunlight poured into the room from the window.

Bandages covered his arms, and a small IV was attached to his arm. He took a deep breath with his nose, having to remind himself to breathe air and not rely on his dry gills. He had no idea what he was doing, what day it was, or why he was here, on the surface world.

He turned to the wakame, downing the bowl of seaweed noodles and trying to think about what he could remember. His last memory was some kind of yellow light and a computerized voice... a zeta tube? And before that, he could remember the helmeted man who had attacked the city, getting hit by one of his spells.

He tried to stand and realized he was completely inept at walking while out of the water. He finally got the hang of it after nearly stumbling twice, and decided to grab the IV stand that was pouring liquid down his arm, dragging himself to the door.

When he opened the door, someone suddenly shot up and he smiled when he saw the orange-clad blonde King, and next to him, his friend Kaldur. Queen Mera was missing, as were the rest of his friends. "You're awake!" the man stated, rushing over to embrace him.

Naruto hugged back in the awkward hospital gown, before asking the obvious question. "What's going on?"

"You're in the Hall of Justice," he explained, gesturing around him, before pointing to his friend Kaldur, who clasped his hands carefully. "This is my new protégé, Aqualad, although you obviously know him very well from your studies together. After the fight against Ocean-Master, I offered both Garth and Kaldur the opportunity to fight alongside me as Aquaman."

"And I accepted," the boy answered, but there was some kind of sadness on his voice.

Naruto nodded, but he wasn't sure why that was all relevant. "Cool. But why am I here?"

The king turned to his friend, who nodded and sat down. "Let's talk. We have a lot to discuss."

Naruto followed him back into the room, waving at Kaldur as he closed the door behind him. When the man produced a scroll from behind him, he held it up. "We should have given you this a long time ago, and I'm sorry that we didn't. We thought maybe you'd be better off not knowing, but it explains that part of the story better than I can."

He took the scroll from him, but decided against reading it until later. "All right. But can you give me the short version of the important stuff?"

When Orin laughed suddenly, it was so awkward that Naruto couldn't follow him at all. "Due to the contents of that scroll, and the story that is transcribed there, you were... banished. Exiled from Atlantis."

"What?!" he asked suddenly, not understanding any of this. "What do you mean?"

"I couldn't, in good conscience, refuse them, after what had happened. Please, read this and understand. Mera and I wrote all of this and spent a long time trying to make our words come out right," he explained. "I don't expect you to not be angry at me, or to forgive me. Don't blame Mera or anyone else: I was the one who eventually relented. If you wish to hate someone, please hate me."

Naruto just stared at him in absolute confusion. "I could never hate you."

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
APRIL 12, 22:17 UTC-2  
TEAM YEAR NEGATIVE TWO

"He was angry at first," Orin explained to Mera as they lay together in bed, the king too exhausted to even undress. "All of it was very distressing to him. Learning of his birth parents and his possible cursed status and the demon that had been destroyed; he said he wouldn't have believed any of it if I hadn't handed him the scroll myself."

"I'm going to go see him first thing tomorrow morning," she explained, and Orin could tell she was very upset about missing him waking up. "Can you cover for me?"

"Of course," the man explained, before continuing his story. "He doesn't really understand the decision, and I have to say, I'm not sure I do either. But he stuck true to what he said before he even opened it. He'd never hate us, he kept trying to say. I think it might hit him harder later, but after all that, he was just glad that it wasn't like he'd never get to see either of us again. He doesn't seem to have it in him to hate anyone."

Mera nodded after a moment. "That's really the only way that I could even handle this. I know both of us can see him at any moment, and I doubt the Elders would have a problem with that, actually. And for what it's worth, I don't give a damn if they do."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence for a long time, but just when Orin was sure he was finally drifting off, he shook himself awake again to the sound of Mera's tears.

"We're terrible, aren't we?"

Orin shook his head, holding her against his chest. He didn't bother stopping his feelings, feeling a few tears making their way down his face. "We did what was right for the good of our kingdom. They left us with no choice. This is the kind of sacrificial decision that kings are meant to make."

Mera glanced up at him. "But not what parents are meant to make."


	9. Independence Day

**SAN DIEGO**  
JULY 3, 11:11 PST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The monster slammed into his chest, but only through the most honed of his reflexes was he able to grab the creature's mouth, preventing its bite from cutting into his durable silver and black suit.

The blonde haired hero tried to move through his own exhaustion, knowing that he'd been fighting this thing for several minutes without doing much major damage. He'd have to brush up on his sea monsters, but he was almost certain he knew what it was.

The creature was undoubtedly serpentine, with black scales that shimmered as the sunlight hit it above the water. It had three tails, flicking back and forth, and he was almost certain that it was nearly four times as big as he was. Its claws were as long as his arm, its tongue snaking in and out of poisonous maw. The black snake had a strong enough constitution that he wasn't able to end it with his wind, which was admittedly distracting. Judging by the fact that he couldn't communicate with it like he could other sea creatures, he knew it must not be in the normal realm. This thing was magical, some spawn of a minor evil water god that wanted nothing more than to eat mortals.

"Here, here, little leviathan," he muttered under his breath, trying to catch its attention again when it tried to slip past him, aiming toward the brave souls who had not fled yet, trying to catch everything on camera. In some ways, he was glad for the attention, but in others, he knew it would be safer for them to just leave. Most people had gotten the message when the snake pulled someone under. Had Naruto not been tracking this thing along the coastline for the past few days, he might not have been close enough to pull the man away from the creature.

The leviathan turned toward him and spat, a jet of burning acid spitting from the center of its mouth. Naruto frowned and expelled wind, the tattoos glowing under his partially mesh sleeves. The acid was redirected toward his right, cutting a hole through solid rock and sand, burning his nose from the fumes.

Taking on the offensive, he ducked down to make himself a smaller target, running with his arms extended behind his back, and immediately leaped out of the way when one of the spiked tails tried to stop him. Rolling to the side, Naruto planted a knee and threw up his left palm at the creature. A pure column of wind collided with the creature's underbelly, throwing it back into the ocean several meters.

It recovered, trying for another acidic attack.  _That isn't going to work,_ the Atlantean muttered, clapping his hands in front of his body. A silver field of wind shot out from the center of the sound, and the acid splashed against it like water would a wall.

The snake-like creature screamed, a mighty high-pitched sound that Naruto tried to avoid but couldn't. He winced away from it, field of vision impaired long enough. A spiked tail raked across his abdomen, igniting pain as the poisoned cut took effect, and the leviathan grabbed him, holding him up by a single tail.

Naruto tried to force his mind to refocus on getting out of this, but it wasn't working fast enough. The other twin tails suddenly struck him, stabbing into both of his shoulders and furthering his mind with poison. It screamed again, no doubt rupturing his eardrums, and Naruto just screamed.

Unfurling his unfocused magic at the enemy, random blasts of wind managed to slam into the snake hard enough from the side that Naruto himself was jerked away from where he'd be held. The blonde hero slammed hard into the sand, sliding a few meters across the beach.

Partially-frozen water had frosted over the beginning of the enemy's tail, an unintended effect of his addled control over sorcery, and it took everything in his power force himself to his feet.

The leviathan rushed toward him, and every movement of Naruto's arms hurt, but he managed to hold up a defense, probably tearing his wounds further. Sand kicked up from the silvery wind attack, some of it blowing in the monster's eyes, and it clamored against the dome-like defensive wall, flinging back towards the ocean.

"Let me guess," he muttered while the leviathan seemingly began to rise again, and as he poured his slowly regaining focus into his starfish sorcery, "did Copperhead piss you off somehow? If I were a snake, I'd be pissed about how lame he is too."

The creature didn't move towards him this time, its hands clawing at the sand still bothering its yellow serpentine eyes, and Naruto just gaped.  _That actually worked better than I thought it would._

His wounds were smoking as the magic flowed into them, forcing him to feel pain to remove pain, and everything about it hurt like the worst kind of pain he could imagine. Nothing ever hurt as much as his own healing did, and he was always so reluctant to even try it. Normally, he ignored things until after the battle, but the leviathan was probably going to kill him if he waited any longer.

Civilians were still watching, most still recording. If he didn't wrap this up soon, the headlines would no doubt read,  _"Riptide Ripped In Half By Reptile."_  He couldn't handle that alliterative blow to his pride.

"All right, if you want a story, I'll give you one," he said automatically, stretching out his arms as he canceled out the sorcery. His shoulders still stung, but the bleeding had stopped, a scab already having formed under the mesh. It would have to be enough.

Naruto propelled himself toward recovering sea serpent. As his feet hit the water he longed to join, he had an idea and swam underneath, diving into the ocean like a torpedo. He spun and let the water bend around him, literally swimming like an offensive dart that threatened to tear the creature apart.

Despite the fact that this leviathan was no doubt a sea-creature, he knew it could swim better than he ever could without a little help. He'd seen the attacks reported for a few days, but everyone else seemed to think it had been a shark attack. He'd known better, and he was slightly glad that he'd caught it before anyone else. Were there more incidents like this all around the world that no else saw the signs for?

A blade of wind formed around his outstretched fingers, and when the speedy maneuver slammed into the serpent, it screeched in agony. The wind had split a huge wound, golden blood leaking from it and leaving Naruto wide-eyed.  _Ichor? God's blood?_  It tried to attack him back, its claws slamming down on him, but the Atlantean was able to form a haphazard shield, propelling him downward as the attack raked across it. His skin scraped against the soft sand roughly, but the monster was already fleeing.

Naruto shook himself out of it, ignoring the trail of ichor flowing after it that was already dissipating. Was that actually a leviathan, or did the blood mean it was something more? Even so, in the deep undersea stretching out before him, he'd lost sight of it. The blood from the wound disappeared so rapidly that he couldn't find it, couldn't track it any farther. He'd had the upper-hand before, because it hadn't known he was going after it, but now that it did, it wouldn't let him get by. They were tricky creatures, of the magical variety.

Taking a deep breath and enjoying the feel of the water around him, he sighed lightly. He missed this. Saltwater baths weren't the same, and he'd not gotten the chance to be near the ocean very much during his travels. It would never be the same again, he supposed.

Begrudgingly, he healed himself carefully, wincing once more. Forcing himself up onto shore, he broke the surface. The sunlight streamed down his face, salty air filling his lungs, and he smiled, wiping away the sand on his partially-ruined skin-tight wetsuit.

Just as he was about to convince the press lines that were gathering already, some already shooting his revival, someone tapped his should and he immediately turned, nearly blasting the middle-aged man who had apparently snuck up on him.

"Riptide," the man said carefully, earning a nod from Naruto. "Good. I believe I have a task for you to complete."

The blonde just stared at the brunette with the hook nose and too-crisp suit. "Uh... depends on the task, I guess."

The man reached into the perfectly-tailored jacket, and Naruto eyed him carefully. He pulled out a completely blank business card, forcing Naruto to stare at him. "I think you've given me the wrong one."

"No. Turn it over."

It was an address for somewhere on the other side of the country, and he somewhat rolled his eyes. "Seriously? I'm not intereste-"

"It has to do with your particularly unusual background," the stranger said, cutting him off as Naruto's eyes widened. "I know all about it; in fact, I'm one of the reasons why you're standing before me today."

Who was this man, and what in the world was he doing here? After a quick moment, realization strung across him, but it didn't make any sense. "Please tell me that you're not my father."

It took a long moment before the man finally laughed. "If you must know who I am, I own and run the world's greatest travel agency. Let's just say that I handled your package."

Naruto inexplicably gaped, mouth hanging open. "I don't swing that way, you pervert! I'm not interested in this job if it has anything to do with tha-"

"You don't have a choice," he said after another moment. "In two days time, you _will_  go to that address. Let's say that I know someone who happens to be particularly good at foretelling events."

Naruto wanted to call out his probable bullshit, but he had seen stranger things. "So you run a travel agency with a psychic, and you try to handle thirteen-year-old packages."

The man laughed heartily. "Come now, child. Please, don't be ridiculous; I don't swing that way either. Remember the situation you find yourself in. You are, quite frankly, very interesting to me. An interdimensional traveler who isn't aligned with chaos or order. This makes you an entity unlike nearly any other."

The Atlantean couldn't really figure out what this man was actually saying, but he didn't have many more people to ask about it to verify. The contents of the scroll, and the knowledge that his birth parents were from a different dimension all together, was something that he didn't care to understand.

Eventually, he pushed that aside. "Why do you think I'll come to that address? Hearing that makes me want to avoid it more."

The hook-nosed stranger laughed again. "It always surprises me when people of your stature don't realize they live in a deterministic universe, but I have to admire your passion to reject that." Another moment passed before he finally just shook his head. "No, you'll be there, I assure you. You might not realize the sequence of events that will lead you to agree to go, but your fate is sealed."

* * *

 **SAN DIEGO**  
JULY 3, 19:25 PDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The small hotel room was not the worst place he'd ever stayed at, but it certainly wasn't the best either. He couldn't afford much, and didn't feel right spending the money even for something as meager as this. He'd taken to calling it the "I'm-sorry-I-can't-afford-to-usurp-my-political-system-and-jeopardize-the-future-of-my-nation-for-you" debit card.

He didn't blame Mera or Orin for it. The world was bigger than he was, and more lives were at stake than his happiness. But even with that understanding, it still hurt. Seeing this odd stranger come up to him out of the blue, seemingly out of nowhere, made him remember the day his life shifted into what it was now.

He glanced toward the wall, looking at where his black and silver uniform was hanging in the barren closet door. Thanks to a large gash on the stomach and several smaller cuts on the arms and legs, he knew he would need to repair it. Inspecting it closer, his eyes narrowed to see the blue sigil he'd worn, something shared by both Aquaman and Aqualad, was ruined by a tear right near his sternum.

Staring at that letter made him wonder why he was even wearing it in the first place. Despite the fact that he was an Atlantean, he didn't feel associated with the "Aqua" duo. He'd not worked with the two of them very much, since he donned the persona of Riptide to begin trying to do good. Naruto got the feeling that Orin didn't actually want Naruto to join him, which was something he couldn't understand. That being said, Naruto enjoyed the small time work he'd gotten to do solo over the past six months.

Having a mentor would probably help, but the only person he'd ever considered a mentor was the headmistress of the Conservatory, and he hadn't seen the redhead much. When they did meet up, everything was great, but it always seemed to end on a slightly sour note when she left to return to her duties. Naruto never really wanted her to leave.

Scoffing, he lifted himself from the bed and planted himself in his desk, reaching over from his bag to read through the scroll he hadn't touched in a long time. Supposedly, this hook-nosed man ran an interdimensional travel agency, which was probably complete nonsense. Even so, he read through the introductory message for the umpteenth time. His fingers had traced the letters etched in what could only be long-dried blood so often that he could memorize their letters.

More information was stored in that scroll, including small bits and pieces of his mother and father's life stories. Apparently, his father, Minato Namikaze, was the Hokage, a leader of the village that was once his hometown. As a child, he'd met his mother after her own village was destroyed, and she was chosen to be the sacrifice, the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

He scowled at the word, knowing it was one of the major reasons he was banished from Atlantis. The demon that had been held within his mother had been transferred into him, but thanks to their quick thinking, his parents had sacrificed their relationship with him in order to destroy it.

The parallels between their story and his own were certainly not lost on him. His surrogate parents had repeated the action, like a cyclical effect of parental sacrifice for their son. Frowning, he stood up and closed it back carefully, throwing it back into the red bag.

He didn't want to think about that. He didn't want to think about a repeating fate, like the sisters themselves were weaving threads together, only to cut again and again in the same places. Was he really scheduled by some strange cosmic order to be at that address on the fifth?

He wished he could ignore the vibrating flip phone, suddenly bringing him to a call. It was from Kaldur, which was unusual enough that he had to answer it. "Hello?"

_"Hello, Naruto. Is this a good time to talk? I hope it is not too late."_

He nodded along to the boy before rolling his eyes at his stupidity. "I'm awake, so yeah. How are you?"

_"I am fine. And you?"_

"I could be better; I'm resting after a fight with a giant sea serpent this morning. A leviathan, if you ask."

He could almost hear Kaldur's look of concern.  _"How did it go?"_

"It got away, but not before I wounded it," he said again. "I've been tracking it down the coast the last few days, the hard way without magic. This is exhausting."

_"Did you manage to get some of its blood? You might be able to track it that way. Do you need some help?"_

"No," Naruto said, pacing to look out the window of the hotel, peeking behind the curtain. He was reminded of the ichor, which was definitely unusual for a leviathan, but pushed it aside. "I can handle it, but the advice is greatly appreciated; maybe I can find a way to track it. Did you need something?"

The older teen cleared his throat.  _"Tomorrow is the day."_

"The day?"

_"The day the sidekicks finish our training. They are finally letting us into the Hall. We are graduating into grander pastures! Isn't that great?"_

The blonde considered it; he was happy for them, but he wasn't sure why Kaldur was calling him about it. He remembered his own experience of the Hall of Justice, having lived behind its prohibited areas for nearly three months. "Yeah, that's great, buddy."

 _"Well, we were all wonder- no,_ I _was wondering if you would like to come as well. As far as I am concerned, if you wear the symbol of our king, then you deserve a chance. Training never really ends as it is, so perhaps they will allow you access as well."_

He really did consider it, but he didn't feel like he belonged there. He was relying on his spells and versatility, but there was so many things he did not have a good grasp on. He wasn't good at evasion like Kid Flash, or as tactical as Kaldur, or as stealthy as Robin. All of them had months and years of experience fighting crime on him, and Red Arrow was so much older than he was. He'd never even met Kid Flash; their paths had simply never crossed like the others had. All the sidekicks felt, to him, like they were this tight-knit group of kids who had seen so much more than he had. Riptide was just a small-time hero, who occasionally stopped robberies or muggings with a police radio. This leviathan had definitely been an exception to the rule.

"No, thank you, Kaldur. You guys enjoy it," Naruto finally said. "I'm gonna try to work on this again. But while I've got you on the phone, do you know why a leviathan would have ichor instead of normal blood?"

His friend gasped.  _"Are you absolutely certain?"_

The tone of surprise or perhaps shock was slightly terrifying to him; Kaldur knew much more about the mythologies than he did, studying them outside of the Conservatory with his mother. Sha'lain'a was a bit of an expert on the subject from Shayeris's famed university. The Conservatory at Poseidonis was less focused on faith and more on practicality of sorcery. "Yes, I'm certain of it. It shined gold and the water dissipated it almost immediately. Do you know what this means?"

 _"I do not know for certain, but leviathans are generally well-removed from their divine origins. Their bloodlines mix with mortal creatures and become more animal than magical. A leviathan with ichor means that they are stronger, more ancient and less mortal,"_  explained Kaldur; it took everything Naruto had not to gloss over the information like he would from reading a textbook.  _"This does not bode well at all. Are you sure that you do not need me to help you? I can be there tomorrow morning, and we can go after this thing together."_

He disagreed. "No, I promise I'll handle it. I'll contact you if I find something."

There was a long pause where neither of them said anything at all, but Kaldur seemed convinced that he needed the help. Eventually, Naurto insisted and the other boy relented. "I can take care of it, I'm sure of it."

_"I'll tell King Orin, and perhaps he can give you-"_

"No!" Naruto interrupted, and he could almost feel Kaldur's admonishing look through the phone. "No, don't tell him. He'll come save me and I don't want him to think I cannot operate on my own."

 _"That's what the League is for, though, Naruto,"_  the other Atlantean explained.  _"Some things are too big to tackle on your own. If you're fighting something potentially this strong, you shouldn't be ashamed to ask for assistance."_

He took a deep breath, sighing audibly. "I apologize, Kaldur, but I have to prove that I can this. I don't think I've faced anything this strong, if you think this leviathan is like an immortal. If I can't beat something like this alone, how am I supposed to stop the really bad guys?"

_"But this isn't a game! This isn't some test. Your life is on the line, and there's no one who wants you to die."_

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I'm sure the Elders wouldn't mind seeing my head on a pike."

_"That has nothing to do with this, Naruto."_

He shook his head. "That has everything to do with this, Kaldur! Everything!" He considered hanging up, knowing he was going to get more judgment from Kaldur, but he sighed as he realized his temper had caught up with him. Mera would be ashamed of him.

He truly didn't like getting mad about this; he had a usually accepted mood about the entire fair, and his best friend didn't deserve to have to hear about this. "Sorry for getting angry. I shouldn't direct that at you or anyone else; no one is really at fault." He took a deep breath. "If I get in over my head, I'll call you. Maybe they'll let you Zeta somewhere near me if I need help."

_"Okay. But promise me that you'll get out of there if things get hairy."_

"I promise."

* * *

 **COAST CITY**  
JULY 4, 13:09 PDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

He stepped off the bus, dressed in enough civvies to hide his more Atlantean features. As long as he kept his mouth closed and the scaly fins on his hands covered, he'd be fine and wouldn't get any funny looks. Although sewing his suit closed on the train had given him some hilarious attention, for anyone who might know who Riptide was. He didn't have the fame associated with being a protégé of a League member, but he still sometimes attracted unwanted glances from less progressive members of society. Once they figured out that he was a hero, albeit an unknown one, usually people softened up to him; the media frenzy associated with superheroism was an odd thing to grasp. Atlantis didn't have paparazzi or press lines.

Naruto opened his palm, revealing a tiny conch shell that shimmered with Atlantean symbols that glinted gold in the sunlight. He'd collected a tiny fragment of ichor that had not dissipated, and that was all he needed to track it farther; it had collected within the fibers of his uniform, found thanks to Kaldur's advice. He dripped the last of it inside the shell, watching it glow brightly before he held it up to his ear. He winced partly from the anticipation, but almost immediately, the leviathan's screech nearly deafened him.

That was a good sign, depending on your perspective. Good because finding the leviathan gave him plenty of things to do, and it was part of the reason why he'd even wanted to try to find it in the first place. Chances are, if he went after the sea monster, he would miss that supposed date with destiny. So he forced himself into doing something productive, and killing the leviathan he'd injured could accomplish that.

Listening to the conch, he instinctively knew where to go. Following it through the city was easy, but he'd had to ignore the looks from any others gave him. If anyone asked, he'd tell them it was a family tradition for the fourth of July. Americans were odd creatures and easily pliable when they said anything patriotic. He supposed he had been the same way about Atlantis a couple of years ago.

He passed a shop with several flat screen televisions displaying a news channel, broadcasting a speech that Superman had given exactly one year ago. The commentary on the bottom revealed that he was supposed to have delivered a speech that day as well, but they suspected that the man was busy with League business and could not appear. It was in front of the Hall of Justice, a masterpiece of old-style architecture and new technology. He pushed his attention away from the quintessential American hero, reminding him that strings of fate were guiding him toward D.C. He wasn't going to fall for it, no matter what signs the old hags with a scissor fetish sent to him. After Kaldur made an offer to go to the Hall, and after seeing this speech, he had no doubt that they were trying to lure him in.

He finally found the coast, a cliff that extended downward on either side into a crescent-shaped beach, mostly obscured by the natural barriers. The sound of the conch was loud there, so he assumed that it was close. Somewhere below those near crystal-clear waters, he'd find it and kill it, once and for all. He ignored the part of his mind that wondered if it was even possible to kill something that wasn't entirely mortal.

He covered himself in the bushes and carefully changed into his uniform, proud that he had managed to fix most of the rips in the fabric. When he was certain he was prepared, he fixed the conch in his hands and jumped toward the water, lurching off into a perfect dive. The water calmed him the second he splashed inside, and after a long moment of relaxation, he pressed the shell to his ear.

The sound screamed to life in his skull, and with a long moment's pause to adjust from the pain, he followed it. A school of fish scattered away from him as he followed the seabed, drifting his hands along the bottom of the sand. Kicking hard, the blonde was drawn to the leviathan, honed in on the ancient sea creature.

Passing through a cavern underwater, he swam quickly through the passageway that was lit by a yellow light, glowing stones sticking from the rocky walls. He continued, hoping that he wouldn't run into any traps. After the mob boss in Seattle, he didn't want to take any chances.

He popped his head above the water very carefully, looking at the undersea cavern carved and lined by the same yellow stones. He was clearly not in some creature's den, however. Florescent lamps lined some of the walls of the cavern, and it was clear that someone was operating here. Crimson robed men with black masks covering their faces stalked back and forth, but the set-up seemed impermanent, like this was just a temporary base. Even then, he had no idea what was going on or why these men were here. He definitely didn't recognize them.

He didn't react fast enough, however, when something was dropped into the water to his left and immediately, electricity arced through the small pool. It was so powerful that he almost immediately lost consciousness, barely staying awake long enough to see an un-hooded man step forward, with very pale skin and no hair. His arms were crossed in front of his robed torso, a smirk on his face. His dark eyes twinkled with some emotion he couldn't understand.

* * *

**COAST CITY  
** **JULY 4, 23:35 PDT  
** **TEAM YEAR ZERO**

Something immediately splashed on his face and he shot awake, eyes widening and screaming as the sudden burst of light hit his face hard. His gills fluctuated lightly, trying to claw for water but he had to remind himself to breathe through his lungs, trying to understand.

"Interesting. I have to say, I've never had an Atlantean so close before, directly under my vigilant eye."

He met the glance of the bald man's eyes, and attempted to spit at him but nothing came out. He was too dry, so dry that splashing him with water shocked his system awake. "Fuck you."

The man feigned shock at hearing it, but eventually, that shock fell away. "Faking the sound of the leviathan for your brand of tracking was incredibly easy, after I studied them for years. After all, I've got a bit of a fascination with serpents." To demonstrate, he waved his hands and one of his henchmen held up a device and clicked the button, immediately filling the room with the screech of the beast.

Something clicked in his eyes, but this was seriously bad. "Kobra."

"That is Lord Kobra to you, mortal."

Naruto had hoped he was lying, but Kobra was, quite possibly, one of the most skilled fighters in the world. He was terrified by the idea of fighting someone like him, and it was immediately apparent that he was far in over his head. His hands and feet weren't bound, but he couldn't move because of the electricity that had ran through his body. He was surprised he was conscious, but his brain was running through scenarios for how he was going to get out of this mess.

His magic wasn't sealed off; that would require sorcery of its own, and there was no way this bastard had access to that. But he had to use it carefully; he did not want to provoke a reaction that would lead to his premature death. Naruto knew he needed to heal, but he wouldn't be able to use that without attracting attention. Activating his specialization would fully light his tattoos, no matter how little power he poured into it.

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to stall until he could think of a better plan. "Why did you trap me here, in this place?"

Kobra glanced down, thinking hard about it. "That is an interesting but inane question. Why did I return to a much older hideout, interrupt my initial plans, to attract you here?" The man twisted around to look at him. "What would I want with you?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked."

The cult leader laughed, gesturing slightly. One of his minions approached and brought a small dagger and a vial of concentrated venom in a syringe, sitting atop some kind of odd scroll. Naruto immediately knew he didn't want to have anything to do with that, but he had to wait for the right moment. "Such an impudent child. I do not require anything of  _you._  Not specifically you, at any rate."

"Could you please not talk in riddles? I've already had to deal with too much of that in the last few days," Naruto said. "If you're going to do the classic villain monologue explaining your plan, can you please get along with it? My feet are getting cold."

Kobra just laughed. "You have a talent for humor in dire situations beyond your comprehension. I have to admit, I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm afraid that your humor will die with your screams."

Time seemed to slow down as instinct took over, and Naruto expelled his magic at the same instant that Kobra launched himself forward, holding the dagger in his hands. His tattoos blazed to life as a sliver of wind tried to push the man back, but he was barely aware of how the man leaped over the attack. His wind collided with two of the cultists, throwing them hard into a stalactite, but Kobra had avoided it.

The fancy dagger slid across Naruto's arm, drinking in the blood; it seemed to glow for just a moment, before Kobra slammed his head into the cavern floor, so hard that any attempt at retribution was cut off until he could recover.

The blonde glanced up just as Kobra stabbed the syringe into his system, flooding his system with some kind of liquid that he suspected was poisonous venom. And then, inexplicably, Kobra stabbed the same place with the dagger, his face not even slightly changing with the pain.

"You're crazy," Naruto said, already attempting to pull some kind of magical alarm that Kaldur could pick up on. He was in over his head, and this was obviously too dangerous to handle alone; Aqualad was right.

The man's skin began to bubble, some kind of liquid skin twisting over his arm. It rose inexplicably, contorting into dangerous shapes the consistency of mud. When it was obvious that it looked like Kobra had a grotesque human torso sticking from his arm, it suddenly shrunk back into the man's body.

Naruto fought the urge to puke as the robed man closed his eyes. The Atlantean's tattoos glowed for a fraction of a second as he activated the communication spell, a silver glimmer passing over the surface of the water behind him. One of the cultists raised a gun in alarm, not trusting that that wasn't an attempt to attack them, but Kobra suddenly coughed.

The blonde stared at the cult leader, whose skin seemed to be glowing with what looked like blue fire. It was translucent and barely there, but it was radiant with power. It vanished, however, as the man's eyes opened. Yellow serpentine eyes met Naruto's gaze, and it was all Naruto could do not to scream in terror.

He did not like the way that felt, the way it looked. This man was inhuman, a disastrously dangerous entity. Whatever that ritual was, he wanted to puke and scream, all at the same time. His hands shook in the presence of that terrifying glance, and it was painfully obvious that this man was clearly the source. He skewed his wincing face, trying to imagine why it was affecting him this hard; he was normally so calm.

The only way he could describe it was this man's pure intent to harm or destroy, to kill, radiated off of his body in waves of power, and he was terrified to even imagine it.

* * *

 **WASHINGTON D.C.**  
JULY 5, 00:02 EST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Something snapped him awake, and he was instantly aware of some kind of magic influencing him. His addled mind tried to connect the dots, tried to imagine how this... Superboy knew of magic to influence him; could Cadmus have actually added magic to Superman's skillset? The idea was horrible.

But as he glanced down in his pod-like prison, to the left of both Kid Flash and Robin also trapped in similar pods, a small bit of water burst out of the pack on his back, linked by a silver glow. Kaldur watched Superboy's eyes follow the display, but he focused his attention. Somehow, the tiny mist gathered until he could see an image capture of a badly-burned Naruto standing before someone who looked very familiar... His eyes widened with realization of Jeffrey Burr, otherwise known as Kobra.

The leviathan... It had all been a trap! But for what? Why would he have trapped Naruto?

The image faded, mist falling away, and left a very confused Superboy, which might have been the first legitimate bit of emotion the Atlantean had seen from him. Kaldur's focus felt split between two places, worried about his own current situation, and worried about Naruto. He had no idea what to do, and didn't know the spell Naruto had used to contact him long distance. Even if he could reach them, their radio communicators were down thanks to the depths, and Kaldur was instantly aware that Naruto was on his own.

Guilt swelled up inside of him.


	10. Fireworks

COAST CITY  
JULY 5, 00:02 PST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto flinched in recoil as one of the cultists raised her weapon, aiming directly at his head. He stared at the end of the barrel, a dark circle that prophesized his death. There was no way that he'd survive this encounter; Kobra had already used his body to inexplicably get what he wanted, whatever that was. He was just dead weight now and could barely move.

He couldn't hope for someone to save him. He'd called on Kaldur, and some small part of him prayed to the gods that he would arrive with help surrounding him. The logical part of his brain screamed in defiance: if Aqualad arrived alone or even with help, could this new Kobra with those evil eyes be defeated?

He frowned, but tried not to let the emotions on his face betray his fear and shame. Naruto had just contacted his friend, and the only outcome from this would be Kaldur dying if he stepped foot into this cavern. How could I be so selfish?

The leader of the cult raised his hand, staring it at before clutching it with his fist. Naruto could feel the true power stored within, the man's cold eyes staring at him with indifference. Kobra flexed before clearing his throat. "Put the gun away."

The cultist obeyed, the rifle placed at the woman's side. Her conviction in her leader was unquestionable, as she did not even try to ask why. Her eyes, not hidden by the mask she wore, displayed all of the perverted trust she held for Kobra.

The serpentine eyes flashed directly into Naruto's own, and it was all Naruto could do to not look away in pure, unadulterated fear. The man must have sensed it, because he started to laugh heartily. The sound was so alien, so unlike his personality, that it seemed to echo throughout the cavern. The cult followed suit, somehow forcing themselves to laugh even if only Kobra truly understood the punch-line, following their leader.

"Amazing," Kobra stated, as he took off his robe to reveal an impeccable shirtless torso. The man was incredible fit, not an ounce of imperfection, and it showed this man's true God complex, a level of physical control and obedience that bordered superhuman. "Truly amazing. And I owe it all to you."

"What did you do to me? To yourself?" Naruto forced himself to ask; he needed to know. If he got out of this, or even if he couldn't, perhaps he could send a message to the League or even to Aquaman. Anyone who wasn't stuck within this cavern would do at this point. He had such a horrible pit in his stomach, and he was truly afraid that this man had reached a new level, had somehow upgraded himself to nigh unreachable strengths.

Kobra turned around, staring at his reflection in the pool of water for a long moment, probably admiring the way his arms tensed with pure power. "Your body possesses a unique form of energy known as chakra. This energy flows within you, a reminder of the dimension where you come from." He twisted his head around, but his body stayed exactly where it was; the sight of the man's neck stretching to turn completely around was baffling and disgusting. "The name 'Riptide' is far more appropriate than you could have ever imagined. This chakra has unique adaptive qualities and flows as a current, loosely connecting our dimension with yours. With the right kind of ritual, I forced your body to pull on that connection, yanking some of that power through and giving it to me."

The Atlantean had no reason to assume that the man was lying, so all of this information was too much to take in, but probably true. He'd never seen evidence of this, but the strange man he'd met only days before came back to him. He'd known about the fact that he was a dimensional traveler, so could that man be connected to Kobra? How could so many people know about who he was or where he came from?

"What do you want with me now?"

"I don't want anything from you anymore," Kobra stated, inciting fear in Naruto's gut. Am I expendable now? "I have taken from you everything that I could ever want, but I believe that this calls for a test." The cult leader beckoned him to stand, leaving Naruto completely confused. "Stand and heal your injuries. I will not fight someone who is already on the cusp of death."

WASHINGTON D.C.  
JULY 5, 00:03 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Kaldur forced himself to remain calm, but everything was riding on their success. If there was some way to get out of this pod, get out of Cadmus, and find Naruto on the West Coast, then he could save him.

Too many variables, Kaldur realized with a thought, staring down at the black-haired boy wearing the sigil of Superman himself. The clone watched the three of them carefully, as though trying to bore through their skulls with his enhanced eyesight. Kaldur forced himself not to flinch away when the blue eyes met his own, afraid that they would suddenly burn a hole through his own eye sockets.

"Time runs short," a voice suddenly declared, and Kaldur realized that it was clearly telepathy. Had they given this clone that ability, or was this someone else? "You must awaken. You must awaken now!"

The sound shouted into his skull, and Kid Flash gasped awake. Robin twisted his head to look at the two of them, and Aqualad barely nodded with acknowledgement. He'd tried to remain nearly still, but the clone's eyes were trained to see all. Kaldur did not want to risk another fight with this... Superboy, because he still felt the bruises from their last bout.

"What? What do you want?!" Kid Flash suddenly yelled, and Aqualad realized that Wally had come to the same conclusion that he had about Superboy's telepathy. But he had met Superman, and unless they forcibly changed Superboy's voice, the telepathic voice in his head had not sounded like the Man of Steel at all. "Quit staring, you're creeping me out!"

Robin just looked his friend. "Uh... KF, how about we not tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?"

Aqualad had to agree with that, but as Wally said something else he didn't quite catch, he was reminded of Naruto's predicament. "We need to return to the surface immediately. I will explain in full later, but my friend's life is at risk."

The clone's brow raised ever so slightly, a shoulder tensing, and Kaldur had no idea if that was good or bad news.

COAST CITY  
JULY 5, 00:16 PST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto's skin burned, steam rising off of it as his tattoos controlled the magic flowing beneath. Pain flooded his brain, replaced by small bits of relief as his wounds were restored. The cultists watched with fascination as the electrical burns that had scorched the skin of his bare feet and palms restored to normal, and he had feeling in his limbs again.

The blonde had so many things running through his mind, but not one of them was how he was going to actually fight this man. Escape routes, diversions, distractions, traps... All were more viable methods than fighting him. He saw no exits but the pool of water connected to the ocean, but that was a liability with the electric weapon they had used before, like the cords to jumpstart a glorified car battery.

Surely there was another way out somewhere in the cavern, because Kobra and his goons would not have been able to take the water route. The tunnel was too long without a submarine.

The cult leader stared at him as the last of his wounds disappeared. "Well, it appears that you are ready. I will give you a moment to recover from the use of so much energy, because I assure you that you will need all of your strength."

Naruto did not mention that he was practically a bottomless pit of energy, and that exhaustion rarely occurred. When it did, it was after several hours of constant use and movement. But right now, he was more than a glass half full.

The second he saw his opportunity, Naruto fired a blast of wind from his fist at the sandy floor beneath him. It was so strong that he was sent flying backward toward the only exit he could see. A cloud of the eroded beach erupted from the sudden blast, and the field of vision was so damaged that surely none of them would know exactly where he went in the sandstorm.

But suddenly, Kobra fired out of the cloud of debris, the dust parting as though the man was surrounded by an aura of pure power. His movements were inhumanly fast, and if Naruto allowed close combat, the Atlantean doubted he could keep up with those movements effectively.

He leaped after Naruto, grabbing onto his foot and swinging his weight in mid-air. The Atlantean spun and collided shoulder-first with the ground so hard that his collar bone cracked.

Screaming out in pain, Naruto already began healing like a starfish, knowing that he couldn't afford to not have that active throughout this fight. He didn't know what Kobra could do, but clearly, he was already moving with superhuman strength and speed. This chakra was potent.

A crescent blade of silvery air flickered to life in front of him, cutting through the now settling sandstorm, but Kobra reflexively managed to contort himself out of harm's way, his body twisting like it was made of nothing but flesh. Kobra lurched back to normal form, a sound almost like rubber being snapped, as he landed in front of the boy, and a kick with all of his forward momentum slammed into Naruto's ribs.

The feeling was indescribably harmful, and it took everything Naruto had to focus on the exit while managing to avoid lethal damage. He sighed once and then forced a gritted grin. "Plastic Man could do better than that." Kobra's playful smirk in response was full of no mirth.

Throwing up an arm, he managed to block the oncoming fist, his Atlantean strength initially proving to be enough to block the hit. But then a flood of power seemed to come from the attack, and Kobra overpowered him, snapping his arm back like a twig. Naruto screamed outward as he expelled every bit of wind into his breath.

A pulse of wind blasted outward in all directions, managing to throw all of the cultist spectators into the cavernous walls. Kobra had nowhere to go and was hit hard by it as well, hurling him away and cutting into his muscular torso. The cuts did not heal, a hidden blessing for Naruto to exploit within the superhumanly powerful opponent. Naruto was suddenly aware that if he could just hit him hard enough, fast enough, and often enough, he might just make it out of here alive.

"Amazing," the man stated as he forced himself to recover. "Truly incredible. I applaud your unique physiology. I cannot wait to have the opportunity to learn how to use this new power properly."

Properly? He's not using it correctly right now?

Naruto forced a shield of wind to block the sudden strike, a kick to his left, and the attack was diverted. Only for Kobra to immediately use the swing to axe kick onto his shoulder, cutting straight through the shield. The Atlantean's left arm snapped out of place, sending him into fits of trying to catch his breath. Another punch fired into his gut, and he met the whites of Kobra's serpentine eyes as he was flung backward into the wall.

He caught himself the second before hitting the stone, and immediately propelled himself with both his feet and his element through the air. The sudden leap over Kobra's head managed to surprise him, and the second he landed on nearly the other end of the cavern, he forced another updraft of cutting wind behind him to block any counter-strike.

The pool of water was mere meters away, and within moments, he shoved away one of the cultists brave enough to stand in the way of it and dove within its depths.

He awkwardly swam so fast that he couldn't quite tell where he was going, managing to cut himself with one of the yellow stones lining the wall. It stung but almost immediately healed.

When he was almost certain that Kobra was following him, he turned back around to engage him. "I apologize, sir, but you're out of your realm now."

"This entire world is my realm!" he shouted, but it was clear that he couldn't breathe when he was too stupid to keep his mouth shut. All of these new abilities had flooded his ego and rational mind.

Naruto actually laughed as he forced as much wind magic as he could to spiral in front of him, throwing it backward through the tunnel once more. Kobra couldn't catch himself as the wave of pressurized water hit him, the bubble of air forcing him back through the tunnel and probably out of the pool.

The Atlantean used his powers to push himself through the water faster while also preventing the cult leader from trying to pursue again. Several powerful pulses of wind fired again and again, the water pressure shifting with every moment. The second he found himself within the deep water, connecting to the ocean around him, he sighed contentedly and swam harder toward the ocean floor, using natural barriers to disguise his presence. Because the ocean is an omni-directional medium, it would be hard to find where he was, and he fully intended to use that to his advantage.

But someone had other ideas. The second that he heard the screech, he barely swam out of the way before the same leviathan that he fought before, a scar on his stomach from Naruto's initial attack, appeared far ahead, swimming directly for him.

"That's not good."

His tattoos burned as he sent another message directly for Kaldur, hoping that maybe it would be easier for Kaldur to assist. He forced as much information through the medium as he could, a pulse of silver disappearing from around him as it traveled through the ocean.

Naruto had only a moment to take a breath before the monster attacked.

WASHINGTON D.C.  
JULY 5, 00:20 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Just as Kaldur was sure that they were getting through to Superboy, convincing him to help them escape from Cadmus so that Aqualad could find Naruto more quickly, the door to the chamber opened, revealing two scientists and Guardian, all three with telepathic Genomorphs on their shoulders.

"No, they can't," the assumed head scientist stated, a brunette man with glasses. "They'll be otherwise occupied. Activate the cloning process."

Robin's retort was automatic, but the effect was lost on Kaldur as he actually considered their plan. Cloning them to infiltrate the League... It was ingenious, and they definitely seemed to feel as though they had some confidence in their ability to do so. Superboy, for all intents and purposes, was a perfect copy of the Man of Steel, just younger. Cadmus must have a larger endgame. He shared a glance with Robin, curious if the fledgling detective had already assumed this before he could.

Guardian walked forward and placed a hand on Superboy's shoulder, preparing to take him back to whatever pod they had stored him in. "Help us," Aqualad half-whispered, knowing the boy could hear it. Having the clone's help was a necessity in this moment, and he felt a sense of duty to free him, to allow him to see all the things they had promised him. Superboy deserved to be able to think for himself.

Superboy shoved the hand away with a flinch of his tense shoulder, and the scientist rolled his eyes. "Don't start thinking now." A Genomorph leaped off of the scientist's shoulder and onto Superboy's, its horns glowing a bright red.

"See, you're not a real boy," the scientist declared. "You're a weapon and you belong to me! Well, to Cadmus. Same thing. Now get back to your pod!"

This man was a control freak, someone who had gotten a bit too full of himself and his abilities while serving this secret organization. Kaldur realized that it was probably because of the fact that the man felt like he had breached on the realm of the gods. Like the Cadmus of myth, these people had created and bent life-forms to their will. He obviously was more self-serving, and Aqualad wondered if he could use that to his advantage.

Superboy walked back out of the room, the creature on his shoulder still glowing. The door closed behind him, but Kaldur had yet to give up.

The scientist at the console must have activated the process, because before the rest of them could say another word, the probing needle claws had attached, immediately sending electricity and pain throughout their bodies. Kaldur could feel the siphons absorbing cells from his blood, attempting to get enough genetic material that they could work with. As Aqualad felt the pain, he was briefly aware of a clothed Genomorph being fed orders from the scientist, but it was nearly too much to actually handle. The sight made Kaldur's eyes widen; that was the creature that he saw briefly on the elevator, the shape of his horns a dead giveaway.

Something shifted behind him, and he barely opened his eyes quickly enough to see that Naruto had sent another message, silvery mist appearing again in front of him. This time, it was very clear that he had escaped Kobra's clutches and was in the ocean, but the leviathan that Kobra could apparently control was swimming toward him. The mist shifted into the shape of the words, "Coast City" before vanishing.

Kaldur knew they had only one hope. "Superboy," he began, whispering almost inaudibly through the jolts of electric current, "you live. That gives you the right to follow your own path. A weapon, or a person. The choice is yours. But ask yourself, 'what would Superman do?'" He paused a moment, wondering if he needed to add details about Riptide's predicament, the pain flaring through his body.

But Superboy didn't give him a chance to do so. Within moments, someone suddenly punched at the doors, tearing them apart with monstrous strength. The white-suited clone ripped it completely from its supports, holding it above his head before he discarded it completely. Electricity flared around him from the connection to the power grid, and that must have forced the power for the cloning process to stop.

Relief immediately filled the Atlantean, a small smile coming to his face.

COAST CITY  
JULY 5, 00:29 PST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

"Shit," Naruto declared adamantly, twisting out of the way of the tail of the creature. The ancient monster attacked with reckless moves, moves that nearly endangered its life. These were not the moves of a trained predator... these were the moves of a random, chaotic animal.

He focused his attention on attacking chinks in the leviathan's armor, places similar to the scar it already held from the previous encounter with the Atlantean. But he hadn't actually drawn any more golden blood from the nigh divine creature. Tiny but focused blades of wind, shaped almost like diamond bullets, peppered any perceived weak points, but his magic was nearly ineffective.

One spiked tail slashed across Riptide's face, and within half a second, he instinctually reached up to grab it. The leviathan screamed and tried to skewer him between the other two tails, but he swung downward to crash the monster into a rocky outcropping on the small trench below.

He focused a ball of wind into his palm, pouring energy within it until it became a pressurized vortex. The Atlantean angled downward and immediately kicked toward the still recovering creature. It spat acid toward him, a jet of poison eventually slowing down within the water, but Naruto didn't care. He forced his body through the murky acid and slammed the vortex of tearing air into the creature's stomach.

An explosion of bubbles and energy hurled Naruto backward, tumbling end over end in the water. He tried to calm himself down and take control, but there was something wrong. The blonde flickered in and out of consciousness for several seconds, before he finally managed to pull himself to a halt out of sheer desperation.

He had careened uncontrollably nearly forty meters away from the leviathan, which was now lying on the ground, either unconscious or dead. Riptide lifted his arm, covered by tiny scratches that bled impressively for their size. His wrist was completely shattered, fingers twisted into impossible angles.

His healing factor was beginning to take effect, distracting his brain from thinking coherently for a few seconds. His own attack had done that to him, had almost taken his hand completely off, so he made a note to never repeat that exact combination again.

Swimming down as carefully as he could while tucking his broken arm to his chest, vision swirling, he managed to analyze the creature as best he could, for any odd anomalies. His eyes widened when bits of metal were floating around the creature's neck, some sinking to the ground with their weight. Naruto's attack had slashed that machine apart, and something was seriously wrong.

"Is this how he was controlling it?"

The leviathan immediately screamed, the sudden movement stirring a cloud of already rapidly-dissipating ichor. The divine blood seemed to dissipate into the water, but Riptide was prepared this time. A quick spell captured some of it, holding it within a sphere of blue water. The monster suddenly shook, its body twisting around and around, before it pushed past the Atlantean.

Naruto fumbled through the water before he could catch himself, but by the time he managed, the leviathan was gone, this time without leaking any ichor. He supposed he could still track it if he needed to, but it didn't seem like he would need to. Kobra probably wouldn't be able to control it anymore, and as long as he got as far away from Coast City as possible, he would probably escape Kobra. And that was good enough, wasn't it?

He took another long breath and reached for the conch hidden in his bag. His body was completely taxed at this point, and a spell like this wouldn't work without nearly maximum power and preparation time. He needed a medium, and absorbing the energy within the tracking shell would do very nicely.

The Atlantean sigils decorating its surface were bright yellow, and he closed his hand around it and uttered several words, a tiny current connecting to his own system.

He cleared his throat and thought of what he'd need to say with the least amount of words.

WASHINGTON D.C.  
JULY 5, 00:44 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Kaldur carried himself through the great hallways, surrounded on all sides by his powerful allies, both new and old. Superboy threw away entire crowds of genomorphs with impressive strength, Robin glided through the enemies with stealth and special tech, and Kid Flash zipped faster than their reflexes could react. Kaldur was... strangely proud of what was happening, but he'd be more proud if they had escaped.

Despite the fact that these genomorphs did not seem to pose a large threat, Kaldur was very aware of not underestimating them and Cadmus. Kid Flash had just run ahead, but when Kaldur and the others joined him on the top level, the doors had slammed shut as the klaxons sounded, the room dyed with red warning light.

"We're cut off from the street!" he declared as Wally tore himself from the floor.

"Thanks. My head hadn't noticed."

"Now is not the time nor the place for your sarcasm," Kaldur said, regretting his tone but not his message. "Riptide is going to die at Kobra's hand if we do not reach him in time." The Atlantean forced his attention away from the redhead.

"Riptide? The Atlantean kid in over his head?" asked Robin, earning a raised eyebrow from Kaldur.

"He's two months older than you."

"And? I'm more experienced!"

Kaldur bit back his retort about Batman's questionable action of bringing a nine year old into the fold. That was a story for another day.

Superboy rushed over to try to force the door open, slamming the center with his fist and then trying to pry it open with his fingers. Kaldur moved swiftly to join him, trying to add his own superhuman strength into the mix, but they couldn't budge.

"Is there another way around these doors?" asked Kaldur desperately, before looking up. "Maybe we can go through the ceiling."

Robin opened his mouth to probably object, but Superboy already launched himself upward, slamming his entire upper-body against the surface. When it made no motion to even try to budge, Robin looked almost too happy to be correct. "The building's foundation is above us, separated by at least twenty-five feet of solid earth. That's tons of pressure."

"Not even Superman could break through this on strength alone," Kid Flash offered. "Given enough time and heat vision, he proba-" Almost immediately, the clone whipped around, face contorted with what had to be rage. "Uh... sorry, big guy. I didn't... uh..." He backed away several feet with a blur of speed, standing behind Robin, who was furiously typing at his wrist computer to try to hack the opening.

Kaldur was seriously frustrated by this point, angry that they hadn't figured a way out of this mess fast enough to actually do anything. He was tempted to reach for his belt, to try to contact the League for back-up now that they were nearer to the surface. But something held him off, and he had no real idea what it was.

When two of the huge genomorphs stalked toward them, Kaldur immediately honed his attention on them. They were a target for his frustration and concern.

His water-bearers glowed brightly as he pushed himself through the hallway, ignoring Robin's shouts for them to escape down a side path. Kaldur shouted with righteous fury as he made two huge steps, immediately whipping his entire body around to slam a mace into the creature's face, the watery projection cutting into its hide.

The second weapon wrapped around one of the creature's tusks, the whip pulling Kaldur upward as it tightened. The genomorph tried to swat him out of the air, but Aqualad used it to his advantage, landing on the back of the monster's head.

By this point, he could only analyze through peripheral vision that Superboy had come to his aid, throwing the huge behemoth into the metallic wall on strength alone. Kaldur nodded to him and held up his right hand. Magic poured into his eel specialization, and the whip immediately sent a current of electricity directly into the creature's tusk.

It cried out, sending a wave of triumph into Kaldur's head. He had to save Naruto. He had to, and all of this made that worth it. As the monster fell to the ground, Kaldur soon found himself back to back with Superboy as they were surrounded. Wally and Robin had disappeared together, and it was all Aqualad could do to actually

Genomorphs of all types had suddenly grouped around them, and Guardian was at the helm of the group, leading the charge.

The Atlantean's tattoos suddenly burned with a dim yellow light, some of it wrapping around his eyes and touching his temples. The feeling was incredibly uncomfortable, but not painful. "Kaldur! I escaped Kobra and the leviathan."

For a brief moment, Kaldur didn't make the connection, but Naruto had somehow telepathically sent a message to explain that he was out of harm's way. Relief loosened his shoulders for a brief moment, before the situation he and Superboy were in suddenly turned badly again.

"I want to help save your friend." Kaldur briefly stared at the clone out of the corner of his eyes. "You convinced me to save myself. So I'm going to help you save him."

"Thank you," Kaldur said, knowing that he didn't have enough time to explain the situation. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep Naruto's escape from Superboy. After all, he would be a powerful ally, and saving someone else's life might be the motivation to do it.

COAST CITY  
JULY 5, 00:56 PST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The second Naruto emerged from the ocean as far away from the underground cavern as he could manage, he forced himself through the streets. American Independence Day celebrations were still running high, fireworks peppering the sky with bright colors that paled in comparison to Atlantean lightshows created by trained mages.

Even so, Naruto pressed his weakened body forward and tried to locate an inconspicuous hotel that could support him for the night. But the horrible truth dawned on him when he reached for a bag that wasn't there; the only thing he'd brought was the now useless tracking conch shell.

Buying a room was out of the question without any money, so he looked for ideas of what to do to get help and not be isolated. He couldn't use a civilian line to contact anyone he knew, and the Hall of Justice and the Atlantean embassy don't advertise their phone numbers to contact leaguers. Naruto cursed his shoddy memory for phone numbers. He knew where the Coast City Zeta-Tube was, only a few blocks from here, but he didn't have access to that.

After another sigh of frustration, he decided to try for it anyway, moving through the streets and hoping that he could remember where it was. Eventually, he found the library it was disguised in, a twenty-four hour library not far from the university.

The librarian, a squat old man with a hook nose, didn't seem shocked when he wandered inside, wetsuit uniform stained with blood. Naruto's Atlantean characteristics were on full display, which reinforced in him that this was the correct place.

He had nothing to do but awkwardly wait until he could figure out what to do next, or until someone used the Zeta-Tube who knew what to do.

Perusing the books was not a terrible idea, but he couldn't really get himself to move a muscle when he actually found a seat. He made quite a stir, however, when a young woman only a few tables away realized that he wasn't just some kid. A flash of his shark-like teeth forced her to reconsider striking up a conversation.

"Don't worry, I get that a lot," he said. "If you want my autograph, you can make a line over there."

The brunette just stared at him, her bright green eyes oddly distracting, a shade of purple lipstick highlighting her features. After another moment of observation, she brushed a hand behind her ear and returned to her studies and her coffee. "Kid, you're not the strangest thing I've seen in this town. I was there when Green Lantern fought off Parallax above the city."

Naruto had no idea who Parallax was, but he'd met one of the Green Lanterns a long time ago. A flash to the tsunami rushing over him brought back unsettling memories that he didn't want to remember. "Good to know, I guess."

A comfortable silence fell over them for a few seconds as Naruto considered how to ask her if she would allow him to use her phone to call for help. If worse comes to worst, he could use the library's phone, but he didn't want to really connect with anyone on a civilian line.

But before he could pick up the nerve to ask, a tall man with wavy brown hair walked into the room, smiling rather brightly. "Carol! I got us some coff- Oh, you already have some."

"I can take care of myself, Hal."

Her question was lost on the man when he caught sight of the thirteen-year-old sitting a few tables away, obviously inhuman. Naruto would have chalked it up to pure ignorance and probably racism, but the gleam in his eye was so different than he would expect.

"Hey, Carol, I'm gonna go talk to the kid," he said after a moment, before gesturing for him to follow. "Come on, I'll get you some food from the vending machines."

Naruto had no idea if he could trust this guy or not, but eventually, Carol just laughed at the display. "Go on, you can trust him."

After a short moment of hesitation, Naruto did stand and force himself to join the man. Hal clapped him too roughly on his back before beckoning him through the hallway, closing the door tightly behind him. But it confused him completely when Hal didn't even look toward the vending machines.

"Riptide, isn't it?" asked Hal, earning a wide eyebrow.

"Not many people know who I am. I'm a D-list solo act, if anything," he said after a moment, knowing that there was no reason to hide the truth from him with his features and the uniform. "Are you a fan? I was kidding with Carol about autographs before, but you don't look like the kind of guy who would want one from a damn kid. But I should be proud that someone finally noticed me on page six of the newspaper!"

Hal laughed heartily before raising his fist. The second the green light enveloped his hand, Naruto flinched backward and nearly fired a blade of wind at the enemy. But when the uniform finally covered the man's chest, all of the Atlantean's fears were resolved.

"Whoa."

"That's what I was saying only a few minutes ago," Hal offered, now covered in a green aura and holding his ring for all to see. His eyes and cheek bones were covered by a thin mask that would probably work about as well as you'd expect. "Stopping a sorcerer from blocking out the sun. He was way too close to succeeding, but the League got him." He launched into a full tirade about how it was Hawkwoman's mace that destroyed the amulet, but that Zatara couldn't stop Wotan from getting away. Despite all of that, Naruto was still a bit shell-shocked that he was standing in front of a man he had idolized for years.

"But we don't have time for that now, do we?" The man stepped toward the vending machines. "Ring, connect to the server and authorize Riptide for use." He grinned proudly when the ring flashed. "If you ever run into Batman, make sure to remind him that he still hasn't figured out how to stop my ring from hacking his code."

Naruto's eyes flashed wide at the idea of telling off Batman. "I probably won't do that, but thanks anyway."

The row of vending machines fell away into the floor, eventually revealing a hidden panel that disguised the circular machine. "Recognized: Riptide, A03."

The yellow light of the Zeta-Tube activated, but Naruto didn't cross the threshold. He turned. "Wait, before I go, you should know something." He explained his entire ordeal while the machine hummed.

"That's quite the story, kid. I'll help you figure it all out, I promise." Hal twisted around and stared at the ring. "Ring, scan for Kobra's presence in the city. Locate Jeffrey Burr." The ring flashed to display a map of Coast City, hovering in front of them and tethered to the ring. But there was nothing there, no way to scan for him.

"That's not right," Naruto declared, pointing to the area off the coast where he thought maybe the hidden cavern could be. "He's gotta be there. You have to stop him! You might be one of the only people who can now!"

Hal nodded. "Okay, I promise I'll take a look into it. But you shouldn't concern yourself with this anymore. It's not your burden; this is League business now."

A quick shove from Green Lantern sent Naruto into the machine, the light absorbing him into its rays and scattering him into oblivion.

WASHINGTON D.C.  
JULY 5, 01:22 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Kaldur supposed that he shouldn't have expected that to work; plans usually don't when everyone's operating on their own.

"I'm telling you!" Robin shouted after dodging the blue-skinned behemoth that was once a scientist. He rolled out of the way of a follow-up charge, dropping a smoke pellet in his wake. "That plan would have worked."

Kid Flash zipped through the smoke cloud, pushing it away from his body and ensuring that it remained tightly around the creature. "It's a terrible idea! What is it with you guys and ceilings? It won't work!"

Superboy leaped into battle, kneeing the disoriented creature hard enough for him to slide back several feet. Superboy's stubborn weight hit the ground and cracked the concrete. All of his anger was evident on his face, and every inch of his body was a weapon to channel that emotion.

Aqualad eventually reverted back to attempting his plan again, gathering a small bubble of water and forcing it to expand until it was larger than Desmond's misshapen head. He waved it towards the behemoth with his water-bearers, but it wasn't going to even try to work again.

Robin attempted to distract him, hurling one of his signature projectiles, but the formula-enhanced enemy shoved both Kaldur's attempt to drown him until he was unconscious and the shuriken-like object away.

Kaldur took advantage, using the shimmering water to clamp down on the man's arm, the liquid snaking up the musculature. A tug on his magic turned it to ice, freezing it quickly enough that it impaired movement just long enough for Superboy to slam a powerful fist into the creature's shoulder.

The ice cracked, and with it, some of the creature's skin that Kaldur had practically freeze-dried fell away. But Desmond wasn't going to have it, mindlessly reaching outward with his other arm and grabbing Superboy, snapping the boy across his knee and then hurling him away.

"Robin! Can you scan for weaknesses?" Kid Flash offered as he ran toward the creature, his voice going in and out like he was speaking through fan blades. At the speeds he was moving, it was hard to tell why he could speak at all and still hear.

The speedster barely dodged Desmond's arm, performing a quick limbo, and then at the same moment, he scattered his fists into the creature's thigh. Predictably, though, Kid Flash couldn't get enough power to actually succeed, and Kaldur watched as the boy nearly careened into the wall after a chop from the creature's forearm.

"Focus your attention on his arm!" Superboy declared, staring intently on the place where Kaldur had already damaged him once before.

Kaldur took it a step further, realizing that if they could continue to hit that shoulder, perhaps they could at least damage one of the limbs. Without that, maybe they could hit him hard enough from one side to take him down.

A cord from Robin's belt attached to the creature's wrist, even as Desmond tore through the rubble of the failed explosion to try to go after him. Electricity coursed through the monster, and Kaldur took advantage of the momentary screams. At the same moment as Kaldur's rush from one side, Superboy seemed to notice the same opportunity and rushed from the other.

A shoulder from the Kryptonian clone slammed into the man's forearm, at the same time that an Atlantean shoulder slammed into the man's upper-arm and torso. The effect was instantaneous, and the crack reverberated into the open sky, moonlight shining from above.

The grotesque sight of the monster's arm, completely snapped out of place at the elbow, nearly made Kaldur want to puke out of something akin to guilt and disgust. Even so, Blockbuster screamed, and Kid Flash suddenly ran forward and shoved both of the teens away before it could hit them both with a powerful kick in instinctive retaliation.

Wally blurred into yellow and red just as the kick slammed into the rubble, destroying it immediately as it screamed in outrage. Kaldur closed his eyes as the rubble cloud reached the two of them, and Blockbuster's footsteps bounded after them. An exposed pipe was the first thing he saw when he opened them, nearly blocked by the enemy's oddly-colored calf muscle.

Kaldur barely forced his tired body to roll out of the way, a shield of water catching the powerful punch. "You're not going to hurt my friends!"

The pipe burst and water swirled around him, the Atlantean's control centered on the water-bearers. A veritable whirlpool had formed around him for nearly a few seconds, before he tossed the water over his shoulder with a motion that fought through the pain.

Immediately, the monster was thrown from his feet, just as the element began to vaporize with the last of Kaldur's energy, spent on his eel specialization. All the force of a lightning bolt raced through the whirlpool, hitting both Kaldur and Blockbuster. Their parallel screams tore through the night, and all the Atlantean could see for several seconds was nothing but black.

When he came to, he shook himself awake. His eyes were distracted by the sight of shapes flying down, some lit up by an odd shade of green, and when detail finally returned, it was clear that the League had arrived. All sixteen members had surrounded them, watching the display with forgotten intensity. He found Aquaman's eyes, to try to gauge how he was feeling, but the man was clearly pre-occupied, staring across from him.

"He's awake!" Robin shouted, just as Superboy offered his hand. Kaldur took it, allowing Superboy to pull him up, and Kid Flash supported his weight on the other side. The Atlantean weakly dangled between the two of them, leaning mostly on the clone, whose red sigil was proudly on display.

Aqualad's eyes tried to scan the surroundings, not surprised to see that John Stewart had encapsulated Blockbuster with his ring. Robin and Kid Flash were both relatively undamaged, some of their costumes harmed throughout the attack, small cuts and bruises. Superboy was predictably unscathed, but was staring so intently at the red-caped progenitor of his DNA that he looked so emotionally shaken.

"Move over, Kid Flash!" a familiar voice shouted, and Aqualad turned just in time to see Naruto, grinning with his pointed teeth. The blonde took Wally's place, who was confused but not sure what to expect. Kaldur was glad that the boy was all right, that everyone had survived.

"You... made it."

The blonde just grinned. "Yeah, of course I did. Looks like you're in worse shape than I am though."

Kaldur smiled back, hoping the feeling in his left side was not a cracked rib.

Minutes passed, and the League spread out into smaller groups to deal with the logistics of handling the oncoming media circus surrounding the explosion at Cadmus.

Superman refused to look at his clone. Orin had merely nodded to Naruto, which pained Kaldur in more ways than one. When the King walked over to them, he beckoned for Kaldur to come. "Come on, let's get you back to the ocean. You need medical assistance."

Kaldur glanced toward his friend and didn't move, knowing exactly what Naruto was thinking. "I will be fine here, thanks. Perhaps Zatara can assist." The magician was busy at the moment, helping Stewart secure Blockbuster in magical restraints alongside the ring's constructs.

Orin looked as though he might protest, but Batman stepped forward, raising a hand. "Later, Orin. He is conscious and not in immediate danger. I have much to say to these three."

The pit in Kaldur's stomach formed and would not disappear under the gaze of the Dark Knight.

"The four of us," Robin corrected, earning a small glare from the Bat. Naruto glanced between them, eyebrow raised in surprise.

"I'll just... be over there, if you need me." Kaldur nodded in appreciation.

"Cadmus will be investigated. All fifty-two levels," Batman began. "But let's make one thing clear."

"You should have called!" the Flash declared from Batman's side.

"End results aside, we are not happy. You hacked Justice League systems, disobeyed direct orders, and endangered lives." Kid Flash grew the most sheepish from his words, but Kaldur did not let them effect him. "You will not be doing this again."

"I am sorry," Kaldur said with a cough, barely able to stand on his own feet. Superboy hovered by his side, ready to grab him should the opportunity arise. "but we will. As long as I breathe, as long as I contain the will to fight, I will support my friends." The Atlantean nodded to Riptide, who beamed.

"Aqualad, stand down," Orin declared, but it was far too late for orders.

"Apologies, my king. But no." Aquaman stared at his protégé like he had grown a second head. "Ultimately, despite my condition, we did good work here tonight. Work you trained us to do. Together, on our own, we forged something powerful. Important."

"If this is about your treatment at the Hal-"

"No," Kaldur said, earning an indignant look from the Flash. "This has nothing to do with petty feelings of disrespect. This is about saving lives. This is about working together towards a common goal, as peers, so that no one has to suffer their enemies alone."

"He's right, Batman," Robin agreed, surprising Kaldur a bit in ways he hadn't expected or could truthfully identify. "The Justice League formed for very similar reasons. We're stronger together."

"We could probably use some teamwork, maybe some practice," Kid Flash offered with a nervous grin, earning a glare from the other three. "What? You know it's true! We were pretty rough, but we can do it if we stick together long enough."

Robin stepped forward, ignoring his best friend. "Batman, seriously. We're ready to use what you taught us. Or why teach us at all?"

Naruto grunted. "They use you as glorified back-up. That's not a bad thing, really, because you both support each other. But they are ready for this, Batman, to act on their own."

The Dark Knight looked as though he was going to say something, but Superboy cleared his throat. "Why let them tell us what to do?" The dark-haired boy glanced toward Naruto, who was standing not far from the other four. "I did this because I wanted to know what it was like to save lives. To be like..." The words died in his throat. "But now that I've done it, I can't give that up." Superboy had everyone's attention by that point, his facial expression filled with righteous anger.

"It's simple. Get on board, or get out of the way."

WASHINGTON D.C.  
JULY 5, 10:16 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto paced back and forth in front of the address. Apparently, the Fates wanted him to go to Washington D.C., and so, here he was. He didn't know why he was accepting of that, but finding himself teleported into the Hall of Justice after running into much more trouble than he should have been able to handle was disconcerting.

The building, a small shop that sold odd collectibles, sat right on the Potomac, in a great location with tons of tourists and people alike. Unfortunately, it had such a weird look and strange wares that it didn't get much business. Naruto could tell everything he needed to about it, just based on the front window's display of dark-colored trinkets that didn't seem to make much sense.

It's not too late to back out, he reminded himself, repeating Kaldur's warning to him after he explained everything to the other Atlantean. The Fates weren't absolute.

And yet, here he was, pulled here by something that felt like far more than a coincidence. He cursed himself and accepted whatever path had been chosen for him, opening the door into the odd shop.

Immediately upon passing the threshold, the magic was nearly overwhelming to his trained eyes. It felt like a horrible trap for several moments, but eventually, the feeling passed. But no one seemed to be here, waiting for him, despite the fact that he was supposedly going to be here.

Taking the opportunity, he twisted around to leave and was met with the well-dressed stranger from before. The man just smiled once. "Welcome to one of my storage units. I knew you'd come willingly; you will do just fine! Probably more than fine!"

"What's going on?" Naruto declared. "Seriously, I don't know what's happening. Who are you really?"

The man just smiled for several moments, before reaching into his tailored jacket to pull something from it. Naruto's instincts kicked in, preparing for a gun or something else, but when the object extended, Naruto could do nothing but gape in wonder.

It was a bronze staff as tall as the man was, with two ornate snakes made of metal circling each other, seemingly endlessly, and fighting partially near the top. The caduceus, a divine relic that could only mean one thing.

"Yes, your assumption is correct," the man declared, tightening his grip on the staff. "My name is Hermes, Greek god of travelers."

"And thieves," Naruto added, earning an eyebrow raise from the supposed immortal.

"Exactly!" the god declared, blue eyes twinkling. "And with such a mysterious interdimensional traveler as my champion, I'm certain I can turn you into a thief as well. You'll need to know much if you are to succeed, and who better to teach than me?"

"With all due respect, Hermes, if that's even who you are, what? I'm still just as confused as before. And couldn't you have told me about all of this the first time we met?"

The god just laughed, a sound that he'd never expected to ever hear. "Of course, but where's the fun in that? You needed to make the first step on your own, and here you are. But now that you are here, I suppose I'll have to dangle the carrot in front of you."

Naruto was perhaps even more confused now, but the god nodded. "I can help you understand what Kobra did."

Any question was immediately ripped away without answers, only to sprout more in their place. "What do you mean?"

Hermes shook his head. "Not now. Come on, I know where my leverage is." The Atlantean grew frustrated, prepared to argue, but the god met his gaze. "For now, what you need to know is that you will join the team that the League is planning."

The Atlantean stared at the immortal's face, unsure if he really believing anything that the god said. "Well, I was probably going to anyway. Kaldur hasn't asked yet, but I'm sure he was going to do so."

"Good. Then I know you'll comply!" Hermes said with a smile. The god moved oddly toward one of the shelves, reaching for a small coin. He'd seen a ton of those before, used sometimes as currency in certain places in Atlantis, called drachmas. This one was etched with additional writing and had a small hole in the center. "Keep this on your person. I'll contact you when I need you."

Hermes flipped the coin, landing perfectly in Naruto's palm, and it was oddly cool to the touch. "You might want to look away for a moment."

Almost immediately, the god disappeared in a shower of bronze sparks, more fantastic than any fireworks display he'd ever seen. Naruto barely managed to turn away in time to just witness it in his peripheral vision, but the pyrotechnics were a result of the god's teleportation.

When he finally realized where he was, Naruto had been forced from the shop, standing outside what used to be one of Hermes' storehouses, probably to hold items or packages that needed delivery. The drachma in his hand felt weighty, like it represented a burden he didn't want to bear, but he stashed it in the pocket of his uniform just the same.


	11. Welcome to Happy Harbor

MOUNT JUSTICE  
JULY 13, 11:41 EST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The walls were bare, the room much warmer than his preferred fifty degrees. The air conditioning was on full blast at seventy, but he wasn't selfish. Everyone was on the same system, and the League was splitting the bill. He supposed he could ask the others if it would be okay to do that, because after all, he was living with a machine, a Kryptonian clone, and an alien girl who was too eager to please. They probably wouldn't mind if he settled for slightly more comfort and asked for sixty-two.

Even so, he knew he would get used to it. With hotel rooms, he hardly stayed in the same place more than a few days, so he usually just settled for whatever the lowest setting was and didn't care enough to complain. But this place was supposed to be home, was supposed to feel like it belonged to him, was supposed to be more than temporary. If he could have his setting and not negatively affect anyone else, he would choose to make it as cold as Atlantean waters could be and leave it as is. At least it would resemble his home then in theory.

He dropped what he had on the rickety bed, wondering how he was going to deal with this. It should be fun, in a really interesting way. Supporting his friends? Meeting new people? Working this closely with the Justice League? All of it looked so great on paper, on the surface level. It was exciting, doing something good with the abilities he worked hard for.

But Naruto knew better. The odd drachma spoke the truth, even if he couldn't get Hermes to literally speak from it. The god told him to accept his fate, and perhaps the most divinely-powerful sisters lead him to this cavern. He did want to come anyway. But to everyone else, that distinction didn't matter. He felt like he was sent here, for some nefarious purpose, against his will.

Surely the god wouldn't be up to no good. The Olympians were the good guys, and by extension, all of their private forces. A immortal army of the highest order, sitting somewhere in the sky above Greece and protecting the world from behind closed doors, beyond the veil of faith. They didn't intentionally cause harm.

Even so, to meet one of these gods, to have him be interested in him... It was all too much. And now, Hermes was essentially pointing him in the direction of the Team and pulling the strings.

He felt dirty, like he didn't belong here. He clutched the bedspread beneath his fingers and let out a small bit of anger, twisting it until he could feel the stress releasing bit by bit. His knuckles were white with pressure and his face contorted.

"Naruto? What are yo-"

He nearly jumped out of his skin, his shoulders tensing even further until he managed to let it go, turning to see M'gann staring at him, wide-eyed. She was carrying a basket of "Nothing," he lied, before shaking his head and frowning. "Sorry, it's supposed to be good for stress. I didn't mean to freak anyone out. Should have closed the door."

"I don't really like doors," the Martian said curiously, as she stepped into the nearly empty room. "Are you nervous too? I am really excited about a mission, but I have no idea how to I really feel about it."

Naruto turned to sit on the bed and gestured for her to make herself at home. She looked far more comfortable underneath the mountain than he ever had, no matter if she was in her room or anywhere else. "I don't think it's nerves as much as everything else that happened. Kobra really freaked me out. But honestly, I am ready to kick some criminal ass. Just need some time to get over all of this stuff."

The green-skinned girl nodded, her eyes filled with one hundred percent genuine concern. "Me too. Maybe you will get your chance to get back at him?"

Naruto both liked and hated the sound of that, for different reasons. "Maybe. It's the League's responsibility now. Green Lantern is looking into it." He didn't feel immediately comfortable with that, because it was his fault that the man jumped an entire threat level. He had a level of responsibility over the situation, and he wasn't sure he wanted to hand that over to everyone else. Batman and Hawkman were a very convincing pair, however.

He turned back to look at her, and there was an intensity in her eyes that was so sudden that he felt... disturbed. She seemed to notice and looked away, blushing an odd rosy tint despite her skin color.

But after a dull in the conversation, Naruto remembered something. "So what did a door ever do to you?"

She laughed. "Oh, it's not important."

"Sure it is. I gotta know which door to punch in the face for messing with my friend."

Her face after hearing the word "friend" was one of probably pure joy, and Naruto had no idea how to react to that. He made a mental note to ask Kaldur about it.

"Oh, well, on Mars, we don't really have them. If we didn't need to live underground to protect ourselves from the dust and the sun, we probably wouldn't have walls."

When she seemed to be finished, he raised an eyebrow. "So it's just weird to you?"

"Yes, just something I have to get used to." There was something more she was thinking about, but he decided not to press it.

"Well, I think we are going to get along smoothly," he said after a moment. "How cold is it on Mars?"

MOUNT JUSTICE  
JULY 18, 2:00 EST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

M'gann was absolutely in love with the Cave! That was the one thing she was one hundred percent certain about. The rest was floating in a nebulous cloud of doubt that she couldn't shake.

Red Tornado was a mystery, something completely new to her; robotic technology didn't exist on Mars, and there was definitely nothing even close to an advanced AI. Everything about him was so new and different that it was very new to her; television had not prepared her for that aspect of Earth. Despite the fact that he - or it? Does Red a Tornado identify as male? - apparently lived at the Cave, she had not had the chance to ask all the burning questions. The next time I see Uncle J'onn, I will ask him!

The person she was considering the very first friend she had ever made on Earth was a bit more easy to read, probably because he had a mind for her to decipher. She hadn't had to delve deep to feel his emotions; his face was an open book that usually matched his surface-level thoughts. He was a warm person, someone with a bright personality that was so easy to understand. Her curiosity begged to go deeper, to try to openly communicate with him, but she didn't want to test her luck. Their conversation from a few days ago was still fresh on her mind, and she didn't want to ruin what trust they had built.

The last person in their odd group of individuals who didn't seem to fit into society was Superboy, and in many ways, he was even stranger than Red Tornado. It wasn't his origins that confused her; the cloning process sounded quite a bit like how p'lips were cultivated into different shapes and for different roles back home. It was his whole persona, his mannerisms; she was both intimidated and intrigued. He was violently angry, like Naruto's stress relief activity turned to one hundred ten percent. The shattered mirrors in the Cave's weight room spoke wonders to what he was thinking about. She was almost too scared to try to read anything from him.

M'gann hovered from one room to the next, enjoying how unique each of the rooms were, telekinetically lifting laundry into a hovering mass. She giggled slightly to herself upon realizing that Superboy wore the same outfit everyday on purpose: Wally and his family had only bought several of the same kind of jeans and t-shirts, adding the red shield of Superman to the chest. The boy wasn't in his room, which probably meant he was sitting on the beach or working out in the still ruined weight room. She ached to find him, to have more than stilted conversations with him, but he obviously wanted to be left alone. She wondered briefly if he regretted not going with Naruto and the others to talk to Speedy. M'gann had wanted to go herself, but the look from her uncle told her quite a bit.

"You need to wait a bit longer," J'onn had stated in her head. "We need to know more about your capabilities first."

She had only responded in the affirmative, and had almost recoiled when she felt his mental probes lightly touching the surface, brushing farther than the communication level. Since coming to Earth, she had begged to keep certain aspects of herself secret from others. Families were so large on Mars that she had to hope he wouldn't recognize her and her disposition. He probably knew from the moment he saw her, and the idea of being rejected was too much to bear.

Her uncle's eyes had widened when she retreated into her head, forcefully hurling his metal probe away from her subconscious. Some secrets would stay buried beneath layers and layers of her memories.

M'gann pushed all of that away, closing Superboy's door and turning to find the washing machine. But the thoughts returned to her, and she was still partially worried about what her uncle might think the next time he saw her. She could intrude and find out, but his mind was closed to her, a heresy that went against the very nature of her homeworld. He was so calm and stern, a compassionate man who didn't seem to possess the nature to be so... private; nothing she ever heard about those people matched with her uncle. Was he only showing her a side to him? Was J'onn actually totally different from the way he portrays himself?

She sighed and tried not to think about it, hiding that train of thought beneath happier musings. Like what scent detergent Superboy and Naruto would like.

STAR CITY  
JULY 17, 23:17 PDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

"You sure he's here?"

The sounds of several explosions were the answers to Naruto's question. Robin silently nodded as Kid Flash zipped past them, running into the fray. The other three ran after him, jumping into view just as the oddly large man with a tattered shirt shouted, "Scorch the earth, boys!"

Robin hurled his weapons and swung after them, just as Wally shoved two of them to the ground. Naruto lost track of them as he hurled twin blasts of wind only slightly larger than his palm, aiming for the leader known as Brick.

One blast was ineffective, bouncing off of his thick chest, and Riptide had to roll out of the way of the fired plasma that exploded next to him. The second managed to shove him back at least a meter, but ultimately didn't accomplish much.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Brick shouted, reaching into the ground with incredible strength and hurling a huge chunk of it at him.

Naruto shoved his own body out of the way with wind, the rock missing his nose by mere inches, just as a red arrow exploded against Brick's shoulder and burned away the rest of his ruined shirt.

He shouted angrily and tossed the second chunk in Roy's direction, but Aqualad's water weapons chopped it into bits.

Naruto couldn't hear their conversation, but decided to make a move, blades of wind spiraling in front of him as he ran toward Brick. At a closer range, they would do more damage and he swung them as closely as he dared. The large man shrugged off the attack, ignoring the decimeter-long gash running down his chest, and grabbed the Atlantean's arm before he could bring it back.

In a grip as tight as a vice, he spun on his heel and hurled Naruto into the dirt. The pain was indescribable, but a brief thought ran through his mind. Why did Superboy not want to come?

"I'm sure I can get some money from selling your head to a beach tourism shop," Brick declared, preparing to stomp just as something slammed into his chest.

The arrow suddenly activated, spitting gunk at a very rapid rate, until it looked like Brick was stuck in some kind of red, solid cloud. Kid Flash suddenly grabbed Naruto's shoulders dragging him out of range of the quickly expanding mass.

"Watch yourself, kid," he said, a frown on his face. "Don't go so gung-ho on us and get yourself hurt."

"Yeah, well, you four are all talking about trying to get Roy to join, in the middle of taking Brick out," Naruto said as he pulled himself to his feet. The aforementioned man shouted something too muffled to hear underneath the result of Roy's arrow. "At least I was doing something."

Wally frowned, prepared to retort, but Kaldur cleared his throat from his perch on the upper levels. The two of them joined the others, Wally always watching the man covered in what the speedster called some kind of foam.

"So, Speedy, you in?" asked Robin.

The archer did not seem remotely interested, barely turning his head to address Robin's question. "Pass. I'm done letting Arrow and the League tell me what to do. I don't need a babysitter or a clubhouse hangout with the other kids! Your junior Justice League is a joke, something to keep you busy and in your place." And with that, Roy walked off. "I don't want any part of it."

The four shared a glance, but the others were far more upset about it than Naruto was. In some ways, he respected that decision because it was something Naruto felt like he was severely lacking at the moment. All the other sidekicks had formed the Team, and it would be expected for Speedy to join as well. But instead of doing what was expected of him, Roy remained steadfast and chose to go his own path.

Even if that was on the path that the Fates had outlined for him, he thought he was a free agent. He wasn't manipulated into a decision. Naruto wasn't quite experienced enough to be a solo-act that was worth something, so the Team made the most sense for his own path. But Roy could strike out on his own, and be one of the major players one day.

Naruto couldn't help but feel jealous. "I'm sure he doesn't mean it. How could he not think that it's awesome?"

Kaldur clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I wouldn't take it personally. He feels like we would just hold him back."

"Is he wrong?" asked Robin, leaving everyone unable to answer.

MOUNT JUSTICE  
JULY 18, 11:16 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

"Recognized: Robin, B-01. Kid Flash, B-03." The computerized voice announced the arrival of the two boys in civilian gear, the machine spinning and flashing them out of golden light. Naruto glanced toward them from his perch on the stairwell leading to an upper level, reading scrolls of a potential spell that might help later.

M'gann watched the map of the surrounding area, a beacon showing Red Tornado's location fast approaching them. Kaldur tapped it and zoomed in, a timer showing an estimated arrival time of only a few seconds. Superboy had his arms crossed, jacket tight fitting on his huge frame.

"Did you ask him?" asked Wally as he and Robin joined the other three. Naruto dropped the scroll where he sat, nearly as excited as the other two newcomers were as he joined them.

"He's arriving now." Aqualad's calm voice was drowned out by Wally's exclamation of, "Well what are we waiting for?"

Within a few moments, the six of them stood just inside the hangar ramp, which slid open to reveal Red Tornado spinning toward the ground on a vortex of crimson wind. Naruto had to stop himself from geeking out, remembering all the stories that Orin had told him about Tornado. This was the first time seeing his abilities in action, and it immediately gave him ideas. Ideas that would probably never come to fruition, but ideas just the same.

"Red Tornado!" Wally yelled, the redhead incredibly excited to see him.

"Greetings," the robot answered, glancing between them. "Is there a reason you intercepted me outside of the Cave?"

"We hoped you had a mission for us," Kaldur supplied.

"Seriously," Naruto interrupted before Red could finish, "I need some action to take my mind off of all this."

Robin eyed him carefully as Tornado nodded once. "Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility, as the chairperson of the Justice League."

"But it's been over a week and nothing's-"

"You'll be tested soon enough," Red answered, cutting Robin off with a hand gesture. "For the time being, simply enjoy each other's company."

Naruto rolled his eyes just as Kaldur began to speak what they were all thinking. "This Team is not a social club."

"No," the android agreed, "but I am told that social Interaction is an important team building exercise. Perhaps you can keep busy by familiarizing yourself with the Cave."

Naruto scoffed as the android walked toward the innards of Mount Justice, earning a very interesting look from M'gann. "What? That's exactly what Speedy said last night about why this is going on. Sounds like he was right."

Kid Flash nodded once in agreement. "Yeah, the kid is actually making sense for a change."

Naruto's knuckles tightened. "How about you recognize that I have a name? I don't care which one you use. Riptide, Naruto, it doesn't matter. But I am not a kid."

"As if," Robin said, immediately coming into defense of his best friend.

"I'm older than you!"

The speedster was staring him down in a fraction of a second, glaring at him. Both Kaldur and Superboy stepped into the middle, surprising Naruto a bit. He expected that out of Kaldur, but he didn't expect Superboy to follow him. He nearly fully-expected Superboy to jump in and pick a side, just to punch something. "Enough. Stop arguing. Naruto has as much right to be here as you do, Wally."

"I would say more of a right," Naruto said, ignoring Kid Flash. "Have you fought in a city-wide battle? How many times have you risked your life when you didn't have your mentor to back you up?" As Wally tried to think, Naruto just nodded. "That's what I thought. As far as I am concerned, Kaldur and I are the only ones who deserve to be here."

Naruto turned to leave, recognizing that he wasn't going to continue arguing with them.

"Wait! What about the tour?" asked M'gann, but he just shrugged and left the others behind him.

MOUNT JUSTICE  
JULY 18, 12:04 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

This was not going anything like she expected. She had already done a personality sweep of everyone, to see how they would get along, and it truly did seem like they would mesh well together! Wally's humor would break Superboy out of his shell, Kaldur would keep things sane, Robin would be a mixture of serious and entertaining, and Naruto would be the happy-go-lucky one who didn't let anything get him down. Now, she wasn't so sure, but she was determined to find out. Maybe a bit more prodding would reveal an angle she could try, but she had to wait for the right moment.

As she lead the others through the Cave, most of them not caring more than the bare minimum to look interested, she was very aware of the fact that this was all going to blow up in her face, not unlike the fact that her cookies nearly burned. Even though they were clearly ruined, Wally still managed to eat them and no one complained.

"I mean, Speedy isn't right about all this, is he?" asked M'gann carefully, as she lead them through the shower rooms. "I wish that Red Tornado was organic; I could figure it out from his mind."

"Maybe he heard something from Green Arrow that no one else has," Robin said. "He did hear about the Watchtower from him."

M'gann barely knew what that was, beyond the idea of an orbiting satellite headquarters. "Yeah, maybe that's it. But even then, I can't imagine that the League would trick us like that."

Superboy grunted. "I'm starting to think this whole thing isn't what it was cracked up to be."

M'gann couldn't even begin to relate to what Superboy was feeling. He was merely days old, at least consciously, and was immediately thrust into a world that could be playing them along. He had no idea what to think about any of this, but he needed a family. He needed the structure and interaction that the Team could provide. That she could provide.

She simply could not take it any longer, her need to comfort Superboy with her mental touch too strong. The Martian breathed slowly and concentrated, imagining a tether drawn from one mind to the next, connecting to hers and feeding through a loop. It was nearly effortless and nigh-instant, her telepathy touching everyone's minds and connecting them through a network.

"Don't worry, Superboy. I'm certain that if we all stick together, we will get through this."

Immediately, the clone shouted, clutching his temples with both palms, fingers grabbing at his head and running through his hair. "Get out of my head!"

"What's wrong? I don't understand. Everyone on Mars communicates telepathically."

"M'gann, stop!" Kaldur said, earning a shocked expression. "Things are different here on Earth. Your powers are considered an extreme invasion of privacy."

"Besides," Wally added, "Cadmus's creepy little psychic genomes left a bad taste in his brain." Superboy's visible grimace from Wally's words made her fear for the redhead's life for a fraction of a second.

Regret filled her every thought, the anger on Superboy's face pointed directly at her. Naruto had not reacted like this. "I didn't...mean to..."

"Just. Stay. Out!" the black-haired clone shouted, vanishing into the next room to sit on the couch and sulk.

M'gann couldn't believe that she had screwed up so badly. First Naruto, and then with her; this Team might be doomed from the start. The second that a mission was given the go ahead, Batman would probably call it off before they even started.

MOUNT JUSTICE  
JULY 18, 12:15 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto stared at the ceiling, already feeling like dirt. He had heard the very unimpressive tour slip past his room, despite all attempts to keep it silent around his door. Wally had managed to keep his mouth shut for once, which was impressive as far as he was concerned.

He had never met Wally before the aftermath of the Kobra incident, before the others practically razed Cadmus to the ground. But he had been nothing but condescending to him ever since. Naruto could give the other boy some benefit of the doubt; he probably didn't mean for most of it to come across the way that it did. However, that did not excuse him from consciously throwing his age into his face, treating Naruto like he didn't belong.

As far as Naruto was concerned, Wally deserved to hear what Naruto thought about all of them.

"I screwed up, Naruto. They are all angry at me."

The touch of M'gann in his head was still jarring but not unfamiliar; it would take some getting used to, but she had seemed so eager to connect with him on that level that he had obliged.

"Surely not," he answered back. "How could anyone be mad at you? You're awesome!"

"I just wanted to connect with them, like I did with you. To reassure them that the League probably didn't mean badly, or that Roy was wrong. Superboy hates me now."

He shook his head, actually not sure if she could see that or not. Her telepathy was definitely new to him, but as far as he could tell, the communication mode of her powers was just like the long-distance spell he used to tell Kaldur he escaped from Kobra only a few days ago. It made a mental connection, but she couldn't look deeper without you feeling it, at least on some level.

"You just gotta show them that you would never take advantage of them," he explained. "I will help vouch for you later. If they know we have been talking for the past couple days like this, they might be more receptive of it."

She started to ask how he was doing, but was cut off. It was an odd feeling, almost like being on telepathic hold. "I just got an alert from Red Tornado! The Happy Harbor Power Plant just went on alert."

Naruto jumped off of his bed. "Doesn't sound like something we should have to investigate, but I will take anything at this point."

"A simple fire at Cadmus did lead the others to Superboy," she reminded him. "I will radio an alert."

But Kaldur beat her to it, explaining that they needed to head to the hangar where her ship could be found. "The action will do us all some good."

HAPPY HARBOR  
JULY 18, 12:32 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Miss Martian remained in civilian clothing, despite her urge to transform them into her uniform. No one else was wearing one, if you discounted Superboy; they had had to leave quickly. She glanced toward Naruto, remembering that orange t-shirt from the laundry she had done the night before. It made her laugh inwardly that she would have to wash it again after this, or at least teach him, as it was nearly the only one he owned.

The mood as the Bio-Ship hurled through the sky, cloaked in order to remain covert, was bleak. Naruto refused to look to his left, where Robin and Kid Flash were sitting together. Aqualad was whispering in hushed tones to Superboy, and she fought the urge to use her powers to listen in. Considering what trouble they had caused, she wasn't sure she would ever feel comfortable using it again.

"This ship is incredible," Robin offered, attempting to break the ice for a few seconds.

"Yeah, seriously, it's awesome," Wally agreed. "What fuel source does it use? How does it do that cloaking move?"

She pondered how to explain it when they descended upon the town, realizing almost immediately what the problem was. A spinning vortex of wind was approaching from the north, a tornado threatening to destroy the power plant. She angled toward it, remaining cloaked, as they worked through what to do.

"This ship have any weapons that can stop a tornado?"

"Do tornadoes even happen this far up north?"

"If the Flash was with me, we could stop it, but I doubt I could do it by myself."

Naruto rose from his chair, surprising everyone. Immediately, Robin started to protest, but he shook his head. "I'm not going to do something stupid. Just get me as close as you can to that thing and start circling it. Kid Flash gave me an idea."

"It would never work, the air velocity is too strong and tumultuous. We won't be able to go fast enough around it with a steady course. If our spin vortex is too unstable, it will collapse before we can do anything," Wally argued. "On the ground, it's different, because you can't get shoved in as many directions."

The vortex was fast approaching, so M'gann knew they had seconds either way. Superboy was the unexpected voice of reason. "Well, if we don't do something, that thing is going to ruin the power for the whole town."

Naruto just nodded to M'gann, who took a moment to adjust the course. She steered as clear as she dared, allowing the ship to tell her the diagnostics that she needed to know to pilot it. Naruto nodded once again, and she opened the back hatch as he approached it, closing it off with a small panel covering him and the opening to prevent the air change.

"Strap into the ship," she told him with her powers, manifesting something for him to hold onto.

"Aye, aye, Captain."

"I'm going too," Wally suddenly declared. "I'll run parallel to him on the ground. We don't have to do much to stop it, just enough. Then we can figure out what's happening."

After angling the ship toward a tall building, Wally gave a thumbs-up and dropped through the central hole in the ship's floor, immediately catching himself and running down the side of the small building, speeding toward the vortex.

HAPPY HARBOR  
JULY 18, 12:46 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

This entire plan was painfully stupid, but that didn't mean they were above trying it. Naruto pulled on his magic and gave Miss Martian the go-ahead, and as soon as the ship started to go faster, the Atlantean's tattoos burned to life.

Any bit of air that the Bio-Ship generated as it flew, hard and fast, Naruto tried to collect it and created a counter vortex, shining silver and surrounding the top of the storm. It looked as though the ship was tethered to the storm by a silver light, flowing toward it. Every few seconds, she had to weave the ship away from a bit of turbulence, threatening to weaken the connection that was slowly forcing the tornado to taper off.

When he looked below him from his perch on the Bio-Ship's ramp, he saw the multi-colored vortex being generated by the Team's speedster, and a bit of pride swelled in his head. He was happy that Wally was agreeing with him, that Kid Flash was respecting his ideas. Naruto didn't need his respect to know he was doing a good thing, but since he had it, he couldn't judge the other hero-in-training.

Naruto tapped into his reserves, the part of his energy he only used when he really needed it, against people like Kobra or Ocean-Master. Immediately, the silver wisps of air seemed to strengthen, spinning around and around in the opposite direction as the odd weather event. He felt at peace, glad to be surrounded by allies and doing something good. And Kid Flash was helping him.

The feeling was absolutely amazing when their individual efforts collided in the middle, and it took seconds for the tornado to disperse the moment they did.

"Holy shit!" he shouted, waving down at the speedster below him. "It worked!"

Wally beamed at him, removing his goggles and giving him a cheeky thumbs-up. But something obviously wasn't right, because as Naruto watched Kid Flash, he was shocked to see a sudden burst of wind grab him off of his feet and hurl him into the wall of the power-plant, slamming into the concrete hard.

Stepping from behind the corner was a tall, red-skinned man with tubes running along his arms with some kind of blue liquid running through them, glowing slightly. He couldn't see much more detail, but when the man reached up and pointed at the slowing and uncloaked ship, twin bolts of electricity arced toward them.

"M'gann! Get us down now!" he shouted in his head, hoping she was still connected. He supposed so, because she moved down so fast that only one lightning bolt made its mark, the discharge sent through the entire ship. Naruto didn't jump toward the ground fast enough, the electricity running through his body. He shrieked in agony and slumped against the strappings holding him to the metallic exterior of the organic ship, fighting off whatever effects he could. His magic was too immediately taxed after the abnormally large spell; he would have to find a way to recover quickly enough so that his starfish magic could kick in.

When the ship abruptly half-landed, half-crashed, it was Kaldur who managed to get out first and grab him, holding him upright against his shoulder. He leaned closer and supported all his weight on the concerned friend, as Robin, Superboy, and Miss Martian ran toward the mysterious stranger, turbulent winds flowing around him.

"Are you going to be all right?" Kaldur asked.

"Yes, but Wally first. I'll be fine in a few seconds, if I have a few moments to recharge. I'll jump back in as soon as I can."

The other Atlantean just stared at him for a moment, but nodded. "We'll do our best to defeat him so that you don't have to. You have done enough."

HAPPY HARBOR  
JULY 18, 12:47 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Miss Martian had not seen Naruto's winds in action before a few moments ago, and while they were impressive, this stranger completely dwarfed him in the control over the element. He didn't hold a candle to him.

He effortlessly halted Superboy in mid-jump, a small tunnel of wind grabbing him out of the air and then throwing all of his momentum at the ground. Kaldur couldn't get close enough to strike him with his hydrokinetic weapons, thrown like a ragdoll as easily as Superboy was. None of Robin's projectiles even stood a small chance against him, the explosive bird-a-rangs never getting close enough to do damage. One of them nearly ricocheted and blew up in her face, forcing her to hurl the shrapnel out of the way with a split-second telekinetic grab.

"Miss Martian, toss Aqualad over his head!" Robin shouted, earning an odd look from her before she grabbed the Atlantean and aimed where they were planning. Robin tossed several pellets that exploded into freezing smoke, trying to halt the enemy's movements. At the same moment, Kaldur expanded his weapon into a scythe-like blade and tried to swing at the man's chest from over his head. The strategy proved relatively successful, the watery construct cutting a small gash in his metallic chest plate, but ultimately useless. A wall of spiraling wind dispersed Kaldur and tossed him so far to the left that he threatened to crash right into a car.

Reaching out with her mind, she latched onto his abdomen like a hook and stopped his forward momentum, holding him in place. "I got you!"

Wind slammed into her, shoving her hard against the concrete, just as Superboy attempted to rush him headon. With a wave of his hand, Superboy suddenly lost his footing and was hurled far overhead in an arc that ended with him face-first into the ground. "You're pathetic! Not one of you is worth my time. I am an element incarnate!"

"Don't you need flesh to be 'incarnate'?" taunted Robin, readying his next attack, the utility belt strapped to his chest. M'gann didn't really know where Robin's comment had come from, or why it sounded so enticing, but it gave her an idea.

As she flew in and out of the fight, trying to hurl pipes and earth at him while Kaldur and Superboy unsuccessfully rushed him, she scanned his mind and was unable to do so. Combined with his appearance and his robotic voice, it was even more clear to her that this man was inorganic, a robot not unlike Red Tornado. Robin suddenly made a lot more sense.

Something shot across her brain, nearly as fast as Kid Flash attempted to run, now that he had recovered. But the speedster was slammed with an entire vortex that spun him off of his feet and hurled him far to the right. Superboy met the same fate at nearly the same time, landing hard.

Everything was making so much sense that it almost hurt to know.

"Everyone stop fighting!" she shouted, the sincerity and tone in her voice enough to make Kaldur pause. "This guy is obviously Red Tornado in disguise! He's inorganic, an android! How many androids do you know that can generate tornadoes?"

The gears turned in everyone's head at nearly the same time, and it was Aqualad that processed it first. "Red Tornado sent us here!"

"After saying that we'll be 'tested soon enough'!" Robin argued back. "This is his test! Something to keep us busy!"

"Speedy called it!" Kid Flash shouted.

Before anyone else could say anything, Miss Martian was aware of movement happening in her peripheral vision, and Naruto ran forward, tattoos glowing as wind ripped around his body.

"Didn't you hear us? This fight's not real," Miss Martian declared.

Naruto shook his head. "This guy has got to just be amused that we're standing around doing nothing, while he prepares to kill us however he likes."

"But-"

"No, buts. Is no one here using their eyes? Red Tornado's wind is red," Naruto said, just as the clouds began to form overhead, two twisting vortexes appearing over the android's outstretched hands.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or disgusted by the idiocy of you six," the enemy declared. "My name is Mister Twister, and honestly, I am insulted that you would mistake me for an obviously lesser being!"

Lighting struck the ground between them, and Wally had to shove Robin out of the way. The group, now with Naruto, split up and tried to take over, but everything was going so, so wrong.

M'gann couldn't begin to comprehend how badly she almost screwed up, and if Naruto had not intervened, she was almost certain that they might have died. The fear of failure on her first ever experience was nearly crippling, and now that she passed that threshold into abject failure, she didn't even want to move.

HAPPY HARBOR  
JULY 18, 12:56 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

It was shockingly difficult to do anything against Mister Twister. Every blast of wind was met with one of greater power, forcing Naruto to keep moving or be blown off of the ground or worse. He was, for all intents and purposes, quite literally toying with them.

He didn't have the limits that Naruto did. He considered himself the most powerful wind mage in all of Atlantis (well, he knew he was the only one, but it sounded much cooler to say it that way), but this android was nearly impossible to gauge. Moves that would take a lot of either energy or preparation were done nearly instantly. He didn't know if it was because of a processor for a brain or if it was because his power source was so strong that it was nearly impossible to measure. Naruto had no idea what limit to hit first, even if he did.

Robin might though, but the Boy Wonder was only equipped with his emergency equipment, and probably didn't have a way to do that. Even so, Naruto dodged a spinning gust of wind nearly twice his height, crossing the field over to where Robin and Kid Flash were waiting, preparing their next move. Superboy grunted and was tossed out of the sky, a bolt of lightning crashing into him.

"He's a robot," Naruto began. "Any weaknesses to exploit?"

Kid Flash's smile was so blinding for a moment that it genuinely surprised Naruto. "An EMP! You're so brilliant, Riptide!" The blonde smiled at the fact that he used his name; progress, perhaps? "Does Bats make you carry one?"

The black-haired boy just frowned. "No, but that's a good idea to add to the belt. Any idea how to make one?"

Naruto glanced toward the ginger, who stared at his friend like he was speaking a second language. "No, but there's not enough time for me research it. I'll have to add that to my pile."

"You have a pile?"

"Yeah. Now, EMPs, current theories about quantum mechanics... Oh, that reminds me that I need to finish that book by Ray Palmer!" Wally practically shouted, earning a dead look from both boys. "What? We are only as sharp as our minds."

"Whatever," Robin said. "You got anything to stop him?"

Naruto thought about it, but his skill-set was so dwarfed that nothing he had could compare. Thinking back as far as he could, he did remember the condensed sphere of wind that practically tore through Ocean-Master's armor. "I am stronger up close, but I can't get close. I'm sure me, Superboy, and Aqualad are all in the same boat on that front."

They glanced back to see that Superboy and Aqualad were being blasted back and forth, every countermeasure not enough to actually do anything. But curiously, Miss Martian has not there or anywhere in sight.

"M'gann?" he tried to say on the mental link, but they weren't linked.

Robin must have noticed the same thing he did. "I can't say I blame her for running."

Wally's scowl in agreement was not pleasant, but before he could open his mouth, Naruto interrupted. "Don't count her out just yet," he said, his faith in her strong enough to know that she was up to something. Naruto considered telling them about the mental link, but they had left the burden of fighting to their heavy hitters long enough.

Naruto half-ran, half-jumped with the effort of his magic, silver blasts of wind propelling him forward. He crossed in front of Aqualad, essentially tagging into the fight, just in time to land on one arm, tattoos shining as he kicked outward with both feet and sent a jet of powerful silver wind into the android's chest. In a moment of what felt like pure triumph, a Mister Twister was hurled back a few meters, just as Superboy bounded toward the robot.

The Kryptonian clone managed a single strike to graze off of the red metal, denting ever so slightly, before a vortex carried the clone off the ground and as far into the sky as he could.

"Where is the real hero? You are mongrels to me!"

"Says the laboratory experiment gone wrong!" Kid Flash shouted, zipping to join their fight.

Robin snickered as he fired the taser attached to his wrist. "Doesn't that describe you too, KF?"

"Oh, shut up!" the speedster shouted as Mister Twister evaded Robin's attack with a precise side step, coupled with a blast of wind to knock it out of the way.

Kaldur and Superboy ran forward at the same time, a mace shimmering in the Atlantean's grasp. Naruto prepared for it, channeling his magic and attempting to surround the android with air in his control, sharpening it so that it might cut into the armor. Mister Twister was not even slightly harmed by it or even seemingly concerned, but when the mace slammed into his chest and left a massive dent, Robin tossed an exploding disk at the same time that Superboy tried to knee him in the back.

With a swirling display, the android broke Naruto's air hold on him, the vortex carrying him high into the sky and disrupting any of their attacks. "Simpletons!" Twister shouted. "You cannot hope to be a challenge to me. Why are you here? Why do you continue when the odds are so stacked against you? One of you has already given up. Why not follow her?"

No one said anything for almost half a second, but it was Naruto who first stepped forward. "We fight because we have to."

"Because we want to!" Superboy agreed, teeth clenched nearly as tightly as his fists.

"You threaten innocent people, and we are not going to accept that." Aqualad's fury was noted.

But before anyone could do anything, a voice cut them off. "Listen to me. All of you!" M'gann's voice cut through to their very thoughts, interrupting their speech.

"What did we tell you?" Superboy half-shouted, and Twister turned toward him, confused.

"I know! I know I messed up, but now I'm very clear on what we need to do." Her pure sincerity and determination was tough to ignore, and Naruto was secretly proud that she sounded so confident. "Please, trust me!"

HAPPY HARBOR  
JULY 18, 1:09 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

M'gann returned to the battlefield, her skin metallic and her voice morphed. A blue cape made of her clothing billowed behind her, the insignia of the android member of the League on her disguised chest. She was calm and collected, prepared to do whatever it took to win. She glided down with her telekinesis, mimicking the wind as best she could.

"Hit the showers, boys!" her fake voice declared, matching Tornado's computerized inflections perfectly. "I was hoping that you could handle this. Clearly, you cannot."

"But we've got a plan now!" Robin shouted, playing along with the actual plan.

Twister just laughed. "Of course. These children finally give their rousing speech to try to muster some courage before they die, but you arrive to bail them out." Electricity flickered around him. "You shall share their fate!"

With practiced effort, M'gann hurled back her hand and kicked up the smoke cloud along the ground, debris swirling and mixing into the winds that the speedster created the second he was given the chance. The plan was, so far, working nearly effortlessly. She just had to to get the chance.

A second tornado hid behind the first she pretended to create, this one generated by the Atlantean hiding behind the cloaked Bio-Ship behind her. When Twister easily avoided it and hurled more wind to cancel it out, the second vortex was suddenly there, this one charged with sharp blades of crescent wind hidden among the swirling. It slammed into his body, unprepared for it, and Twister was not able to do much more than allow the winds to waylay him.

"I have the upper-hand now, Twister!" she shouted from her disguise, both hands hurling back to shoot rocky debris from behind her in his direction.

"No, Tornado, we are not!" Twister angrily tried to slam his fist into the ground, but a long gash from Naruto's latest vortex cut into one of the hydraulics in an arm, rendering it utterly useless.

The earthen debris slammed into the android, further annoying the enemy. But when M'gann saw the first explosive disc from Robin's utility belt among the debris she fired, she couldn't help but smirk through the shapeshifting. Instantly, the disc exploded in the android's face, another landing on his hip and detonating, leaving him with nothing more than a glorified stump on that leg.

"No!" he shouted, wind taking him to the skies as he raised a single hand, attempting to fire electricity at her. The faux Red Tornado flew expertly out of the way, her mind guiding her toward the Team's hiding place, and almost immediately, Kaldur jumped in front of the lightning bolt, his tattoos burning as he absorbed the discharge, lightning utterly useless.

M'gann, as Red Tornado, flew toward the now losing android, proud that her plan was working so well, that the Team was working so well. "You're finished, Twister!" She telekinetically lifted him, not even trying to disguise her attacks as wind anymore, and flung him toward the ship, removing parts of his body as she went.

The Bio-Ship de-cloaked just as Superboy jumped out of it, shouting loudly as he landed hard on the enemy's chest, throwing him toward the ground. There was now nothing more to his chest cavity than a pile of rubble, a metal plate barely hanging on.

She dropped to the ground and revealed herself, transforming into her green-skinned human form, earning a robotic gasp of anger. The feeling of confidence was so great, glad to know that her initial idea was enough.

Kid Flash zipped toward her, putting an arm around her. "I knew you could, babe."

She didn't bother to shrug him off, just glad for the contact after screwing up so badly, twice in the same day.

But when someone suddenly coughed and tried to pull themselves out of the android, a much smaller man with long brown hair and an odd goatee, M'gann raised an eyebrow. A quick mental scan revealed nothing, just like before, so she just pulled a piece of rubble from the fight and lifted it, ignoring everyone's shouts toward the man to freeze. They didn't even imagine that she would hurl the huge rock on top of him, crushing him beneath the weight.

"We don't know how things are done on Mars," Robin said, walking forward. The look on all their faces was one of shock, anger, and probably terror. Naruto had an unreadable expression, and Superboy might as well have seen a ghost. "But here on Earth, we don't execute our captives!"

She just smirked. "You said you'd trust me." Lifting the rock off of the crushed robotic body of the pilot, everyone just looked on in amazement.

"A robot inside of another robot," Naruto stated, laughing. "That feels like overkill."

"I don't really understand the strategy here," Kaldur admitted.

"That's why I couldn't read his mind," she said, waving to it, as Kid Flash reached down and picked up one of the eyes.

"Cool! A souvenir."

MOUNT JUSTICE  
JULY 18, 16:01 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

For the better part of the rest of the day, beyond debriefing Batman and the rest of the League of what happened, everyone stayed around the Cave and just hung out. They actually took up Red Tornado's earlier advice about social interaction being part of any team's success. Naturally, everyone ended up watching the brand new movie Inception, which naturally brought up quite a few interesting issues. They had to thank the League for setting it up through the Flash's deal with the Central City Multiplex, who basically shipped them the movie after they paid for all the tickets.

"Obviously, Cobb was still dreaming at the end," Wally half-shouted, a third bag of popcorn filling his mouth. "It wasn't going to fall down. It doesn't really matter though, because he was happy."

"I doubt it," Superboy said. "Looks like he escaped from it, and that's what he deserved for doing that in the first place."

Naruto had not made up his mind about the ending to the movie, but he didn't know what Superboy was referring to. "What do you mean?"

"For going into someone's dreams at all," he explained, eyes glancing toward M'gann.

Naruto immediately understood what he was actually referring to, so when everyone kept arguing and she went quiet, he rolled his eyes, standing up from his place next to Kaldur on the couch. "All right, we need to talk. About all of this. If we don't talk about it now, we never will."

"I don't know what you mean," Kaldur began, just as confused in the dark room.

"M'gann and I have been talking quite a bit for the past few days," he explained, earning a wide eye from Robin, who immediately nudged Wally.

"Looks like your chances with her are over." Wally shot him a death glare.

"No, it's not like that at all," Miss Martian said, truthfully, to which Naruto nodded.

"I'm talking about telepathically," he explained. "Maybe you guys aren't comfortable with it, and I admit, I wasn't at first. But I got used to it and you can too."

"Why should we?" the clone asked.

"It feels like she's going to figure things out she shouldn't know," Robin added.

Naruto paced in front of the long couch, barely glancing up to the kitchen to think about how to say what was next on his mind.

"It doesn't work like that," she explained. "Not unless I want it to, and if I wanted to snoop, you'd feel it. I usually can't feel much more than emotions on the surface, what your body language would probably already tell." The pointed glance toward Superboy was obvious; the guy was practically always standing with his arms crossed, a frown on his face. "When I create a mind link for communication, I don't get more than what you want to send. Your deeper thoughts will be hidden behind the projected thoughts, and I can't go farther without hurting any of you. And I would never do that."

"We won today because M'gann communicated her plan to us without Mister Twister being able to find it out," Naruto explained, looking at each of them. "All I'm saying is that we can use this to our advantage going forward."

He sat back down, waiting for someone to bring up the courage to speak. But something must have occurred to Kaldur, who suddenly glanced up with realization. "He's right. We're the covert arm of the Justice League; if we use your telepathy, M'gann, it's silent and hidden from any kind of breaching signal." Naruto inwardly cheered Kaldur's military mind on, because that kid was weirdly tactical.

Basically everyone but Superboy suddenly burst into conversation about how awesome the idea was, about how awesome M'gann was, and everything was great. But eventually, the clone sighed.

"This is a good idea." He met her gaze. "I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier."

She just smiled brightly.


	12. Drop Zone

**GOTHAM CITY**  
JULY 21, 4:56 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Dick's fingers flew across the keyboard, a small part of him musing that creating a quick program to scan for connections in the data would be much faster. Even so, he pressed on into the dead of night, driven with purpose that would benefit everyone.

Crossing data streams looking for information, any information, about Red Tornado and his potential enemies was actually quite difficult. Obviously, Red was an AI with an aptitude for technology that the Boy Wonder could never hope to achieve. The android had to be keeping detailed records  _somewhere,_  but it must not be in any of the Justice League's servers.

_No. It has to be here. No way that Batman would ever let Red keep pertinent information on a more secure, private network. He's too untrusting._

He had a responsibility for his team to look into Mister Twister, to realize what the connection between the two androids was and to see if he could understand a motive.

Dick had several floating around in his head, and the one he'd narrowed his current focus to was the similar abilities. Both were created by T.O. Morrow, a true pioneer genius in his field. They each had similar abilities as well, which led to his purposed motive: Mister Twister was trying to best his "brother," to see which of Morrow's long-dead wind elementals were better. Dick could relate to wanting to be on top in that regard, so it seemed plausible.

He pulled up the best rendering he could of the robot piloting Mister Twister, which was a conundrum in and of itself. Was the pilot actually Twister, or was Twister not an android but just a suit of armor powered by one? And who built the pilot?

The endless loops fell on top of each other one by one, driving him insane even while he added pertinent information to a potential list. A glance to the clock reminded him that he'd spent several hours focusing on this, and while it was important, Red's nonchalance about the Team involving itself in his safety ran through his mind once more.

"No leads?"

Robin forced himself not to flinch as the Dark Knight walked into the Cave, his exposed face lit by the screen of blue light. A hand descended on his shoulder as he placed a cup of coffee by the keyboard, a gentle squeeze. Dick didn't know whether to feel like Bruce was supporting him or patronizing him, but the man didn't say anything, waiting on the boy to respond.

"No. I can't figure it out," he explained, before descending into full-blown madness trying to explain his theories for why Mister Twister would attack Red Tornado now, who or what sent him, and how he found the android member of the League. Bruce nodded once and eventually sat down, his face actually interested.

It took him a long moment to realize that the tables had turned. Batman and Robin had swapped roles in the detective game, and everything was so surreal for a quick moment before he forced himself to continue. Dick remembered something that Batman had said a few weeks ago, while investigating where Killer Croc would strike next. "Any ideas? A connection you see that I don't?"

Bruce immediately recognized his statement, and apparently the role reversal, because a hint of a smile came to his face. "It's a troubling situation, but one that the Team should not be facing. And one that you should not be facing alone."

Dick couldn't stop the frown from appearing on his face. "Don't say that. My team faced off against him, and-"

" _Your_ team?"

Dick glanced up at him, a near scowl across his face before Bruce gave him an even look. The Boy Wonder sighed. "Are you trying to tell me that I can't lead the Team? I'm ready, and they all know it. It's my responsibility to hold them together, to investigate threats that we feel responsible for as a group. Our first one of those is Mister Twister."

Batman didn't say anything for a long few seconds, but eventually, he sipped his coffee and drifted back to meet the gaze of the computer. "As chairperson of the League, I manage the Team, and I could appoint a leader to handle field operations. However, Diana suggested that the Team itself choose its leader, as the League did in its early days."

"Obviously someone like me with the most experience would be the best choice," Robin stated with one hundred percent conviction.

"Perhaps that's true," Batman agreed. "But that is something that the Team itself should decide."

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**  
JULY 21, 9:25 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Pulling it off the shelf on the bathroom, Naruto slid on the necklace containing the drachma before sliding into the rest of his uniform. The Atlantean wasn't sure where the League's supplier of specialized uniforms came from, beyond that Batman was somewhat involved. He supposed that the man had to have a ton of money to make it, but it could have been someone else's design as well.

He tapped the insignia on his chest, watching as the stealth tech activated and changed the color scheme from silver, black, and blue to a darker scheme of each color. He supposed that if he had to use his magic on a mission, it would be difficult to not reveal his position with his glowing arms.

Even so, he was glad to have it, and an excuse to help with his hand-to-hand training. He needed to be more well-rounded, because fighting against someone like Twister and like Kobra have seriously adjusted his priorities.

Making his way through the Cave, he passed a shirtless Superboy staring carefully in the mirror, standing almost inside the closet. He weakly waved and continued moving forward, hoping to avoid the death stare he received from someone with the powers of Superman.

"Okay...," he muttered, before remembering that the clone could probably hear him. Cursing silently, he considering pressing on before finally calling out, "Aqualad is supposed to be here very soon, for an early training session. Considering we're somewhere near your weight class, you should come!"

He heard shuffling and a potential groan, before the black-haired boy turned down the hallway to follow him, still sans shirt. Naruto laughed. "You should probably grab a shirt."  _Wouldn't want to give M'gann a heart attack if she chooses to join us._

The Kryptonian grunted once almost quietly before grabbing one and sliding it over his head quickly, passing through the small room carefully. Naruto clapped him on the back of the shoulder, gesturing toward the end of the hallway, while noting how normal that felt under his fingertips. He pondered whether or not to ask Wally if he knew how Kryptonian durability worked and how their skin was pliable at all, despite the name "Man of Steel."

Naruto approached the fight stage in the center of the room, the glowing white computer in the floor activating to the sound of his voice. He knew Kaldur would still be a few minutes later, so he eventually took a stance and met the clone's eyes. Naruto was ready for a challenge.

But Superboy wasn't. He stared apathetically to the training apparatus, not even meeting his eyes. "You sure you want to do this? I don't exactly see the point."

Naruto nodded. "You're right there, but it can't hurt to do it anyway. What else have you got to do? Stare into your closet mirror?"

The movement was shaky, all of the force-grown teen's body language projecting where he was going to attack from. Despite that, he moved fast enough in two bounds that he slammed his forearm into the Atlantean's neck, threw him to the ground, and then prepared to kick him in the head. A roar of anger was the only mercy from the clone that ended the bout, and the machine beeped with the message, "Status: Fail!"

Naruto coughed as the clone walked away from the fight. "Told you there was no point." Superboy disappeared into the hallway, leaving the other to wait until he could breathe painlessly again.

 _Remind me never to spar with him again ever,_ Naruto thought to no one in particular, out of his own sense of self-preservation.

M'gann flew into the room from the kitchen, her face concerned. "What's wrong? You okay?" She pulled him off the ground with an outstretched hand. "Did someone attack you?"

Naruto just laughed. "If by someone you mean our angry, brooding cave-mate, then yeah." He explained the situation to her. "It's not a big deal, I just didn't expect to make him angry like that."

She pondered it a moment. "If he would just take things less seriously, he would probably get along better with everyone here." M'gann frowned. "Oh, my tone was probably too negative! Sorry! After all, he's had a lot on his plate, probably more than anyone else here. It's all new to him."

Naruto smiled, coughing once more and rubbing his fingers across the skin of his neck. "M'gann, you don't have to defend him. I'm not going to run after him with a Kryptonite pitchfork."

She nodded once. "Yeah, I know. So do you want me to show you how to make those veggie wraps you liked at the bonfire so much?"

The Atlantean laughed, remembering the bonfire they had all made the night before. His stomach rumbled. "I would, but Kaldur's going to be here any minute now for a little bit of hand-to-hand training. You're welcome to join us. It can't hurt to be prepared."

M'gann took a few seconds to think about it and then nodded. "I'd like that very much."

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**  
JULY 21, 14:33 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

After half a day of goofing off and running through hand-to-hand drills, most of which included Naruto and M'gann getting thrown on their asses by the more highly-trained Atlantean, he supposed he shouldn't have been happy when his necklace began to burn across his sweaty skin, just painfully-enough to get his attention without causing him to yell out.

Leaving his poorly-made replica of M'gann's veggie wrap behind, he disappeared to his bedroom and pulled the necklace out of his shirt, revealing the ancient coin. It was shining slightly, glimmering with an unnatural golden hue, and he frowned at the idea of what it meant.

But before he could question it further, the hole in the center of the coin suddenly solidified with light and then projected outwards, revealing a misty six-inch tall golden hologram of Hermes from the neck up. The god looked distracted, despite contacting him, which irked Naruto to no end.

"Hello, traveler," the immortal said, earning a small scowl from the Atlantean.

"Lord Hermes," he said respectfully, despite the look on his face. Even if he didn't like the guy, he had to respect him out of fear that he would be vaporized into oblivion.

"Oh, I think I'm going to like you," the man said, his Greek dialect interesting to interpret.

"Why are you contacting me?"

The god raised an immaculate eyebrow. "Why not?" After it didn't get a laugh, he resigned himself. "Fine. If you must know, we are running out of time."

"What do you mean?"

"The other players are making their moves," Hermes said. "I apologize that I cannot explain it to you in more clear terms, but I'm walking on eggshells here just reaching out to you. Until you have been struck by divine lightning, I don't think you'll be able to understand how careful I have to be."

The blonde frowned, all of this a lot to take in. A few years ago, he didn't think it was even possible for gods to exist beyond theoretical ideals to teach morality. Seeing they were flesh and blood and could physically interact with the real world was very difficult to wrap his head around. "Look, unless you have something concrete, could you please refrain from pestering me?"

Hermes peered at him through narrowed eyes. "Did you just make a demand of a god?"

"No!" Naruto nearly shouted through his fear, a shot of adrenaline rushing through his body. "No, Lord Hermes."

The messenger god finally nodded. "I have it on my authority that Kobra is traveling. I am not allowed to speak of whereto- confidentiality, you see, between patron and client. Something that Rome adopted from our system, actually - but someone let me know that he will cross your path in the very near future."

The notion was terrifying for several reasons, but he took a moment to reflect when the god did not speak further. "Thank you for letting me know, I suppose. Is there anything that you can tell me about him? You promised information that I need to know about him."

"At the moment, no."

"Really? I don't know why I am even agreeing to do any of this for you," he muttered. "Can't we  _both_ help each other out with this, rather than me helping you and getting nothing back?"

The hologram flashed with golden yellow light as Hermes' expression shifted with intensity. Naruto was unsure if he should be worried, but the idea of looking at the image of him was incredibly uncomfortable all of a sudden. His instinct was to hurl the coin away from him, as though the image of the god would reach out and tear his throat out with his teeth. Because Hermes was divine, he supposed that would be entirely within the realm of possibility; he shuddered at the thought.

"All I can tell you at this moment is that Kobra has been influenced by your home realm through you," Hermes explained after a long moment. Naruto had assumed as much based on how Kobra worded it. "If you can figure out what that means, then I will confirm it for you.

"But I do want to tell you that your place in this is incredibly important; I cannot stress this enough. Your interactions with the League put you in the perfect position to intervene on a level far beyond someone like Kobra." Naruto's eyes widened. "Quite frankly, I do not know whether or not you have the power alone to make a difference. But perhaps you can help those who do."

The odd coin call ended, the metal going cold and returning to its normal, almost rusted luster. The boy sighed lightly, confused and worried about what any of this could mean. A sudden thought ran across his mind, and he cursed that he hadn't asked the obvious question already.

_But how soon was the 'very near future'?_

* * *

**MOUNT JUSTICE**  
JULY 22, 15:16 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The Team gathered to watch Batman deliver intelligence about their first official operation as the covert operations arm of the Justice League. Holographic screens swirled with activity, morphing based on voice and by touch, to reveal all they had gathered about an island nation in the Caribbean Sea.

Robin glanced toward the Team, trying to see how they were feeling. Wally was stupidly confident, his fingers twitching to signify that he probably needed food but had to refrain-  _wait_ , no, he took a bag of chips and started to munch on them in the middle of a debriefing. Kaldur was calm and collected, completely ready for the task at hand; his analytical mind was impressive. Miss Martian was holding one arm across her body, displaying defensive tendencies that he noted to ask her about later. Superboy looked ready to go, perhaps even more confident than Wally, which was saying something; at least the guy had the muscle to back it up. Naruto was staring off into space, suggesting distraction or preoccupation, like there was something external he worried about.

"Isla Santa Prisca," Batman explained, zooming in on a topological map of the area. "This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo-steroid..."

Robin's attention trailed off as Batman continued relaying information he already knew about Bane's drug, going through scenarios of what to do in this situation. He already knew how Batman would expect them to operate, moving in and out of sight before they could blink an eye. He had never seen or fought Bane in person, but he did read the case file of how Batman once ran across venom-enhanced criminals in the Latino's employ.

"This is a covert,  _recon_  mission only," Batman continued, making a pointed glance in Wally's direction as the speedster continued to eat loudly. " _Observe_  and  _report_. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will."

Robin supposed that made sense, although if they were already there, he figured that the Team could impact the factory. If they planned it correctly, they might could even dismantle it, perhaps by destroying their servers or taking pieces of important equipment. All without the island even knowing they were there. Robin almost grinned at the idea, but held back knowing that the others probably wouldn't have the kind of training necessary to not get caught. Even so, if he could play it correctly, he could probably do it all himself.

The map highlighted with their planned drop zones, one in the ocean and one on a forested hill near the center of the island, two clicks from the probable location of the factory. Robin played through the purposes of the drop zones in his mind, knowing exactly why and what they could be used for.

 _"So one for Kaldur and Naruto to knock out the detection sensors along the beaches,"_  M'gann commented through the mental link, an unfamiliar but not painful sensation to Robin; at Kaldur and Naruto's suggestion, they used her telepathy quite a bit, an upgrade over traditional radios, as far as anyone else was concerned.  _"But why go in the center? Why not come in behind the two of them, or drop along the beach?"_

Superboy crossed his arms defensively.  _"Hutier infiltration tactics, developed in the first World War."_

 _"Uh... Supey, you okay? You sounded a bit like Mister Twister or Red Tornado there,"_ Wally said into the link, glancing toward the clone with legitimate concern. Robin frowned, knowing that the information was pre-programmed by the telepathic Genomorphs.

 _"He is right,"_ Kaldur explained.  _"By attacking from two fronts and getting behind enemy lines with a smaller force, we cause confusion for the others to retaliate. If they hit the four of you hard, Naruto and I can meet and turn the tide, or vice versa, by attacking from behind."_

Batman suddenly cleared his throat, looking at the six of them curiously before staring at M'gann. "Well, that's certainly a tactic we have only used sparingly, but I see that you might be using it a bit more than we do. Know, however, that sometimes her telepathy is not something you can use effectively in every situation."

"An interesting phenomenon," Tornado declared. "I imagine that it was useful against Mister Twister?"

Robin nodded, about to open his mouth before Wally cut in, speeding over to place a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Martian here is brilliant! Her powers are one of a kind." M'gann smiled, embarrassed to be praised in front of everyone.

"An incorrect statement," Tornado stated, and the look of confusion on Kid Flash's face made Robin chuckle audibly, joining Naruto. "The Martian population is two point seven billion, concentrated in only sixteen cavernous communities, each with a population density ranging between thirteen and twenty seven people per square kilometer. Possession rates of telepathy estimate a near ninety-five percent of the population."

Wally just frowned nervously. "Well, maybe not one of a kind on Mars, but on Earth, she's only got her uncle to contend with."

"There are several recorded human users of telepathy on Earth," Tornado continued, but Batman raised a hand.

"Later," he said. "Focus on the mission."

It took a moment for Robin to really think, but after considering Batman's words from the other night, he turned to the Team. "So... does anyone have a problem with me being the leader?"

The five of them turned to each other, a sudden outcry of thoughts pouring into the mental link and overwhelming it. When everyone suddenly clutched their foreheads in pain, Batman nodded once. "That's one of the disadvantages to her telepathy."

* * *

 **CARIBBEAN SEA**  
JULY 22, 20:08 ECT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto was anxious for how this was going to actually happen, if at all. The flight to the island had been extremely quiet after the argument finally subsided, and after a time, everyone eventually just agreed they would follow Robin's lead, while helping whoever was assigned to the task they were. It wasn't a very solid plan with specific tactics in place or a specific system for orders, but Naruto was just ready for this thing to get over with.

He wasn't expecting anything particularly exciting, assuming everything follows ideally. He doubted it would work that perfectly, but who knows? Perhaps the Team would work more fluidly than he imagined; the mental link would help, considering how there was almost no risk involved in sending a message, but it would have to be carefully orchestrated to avoid the flooding effect.

Even so, he twisted his neck around to give M'gann a small smile, sharing a nod with Robin. The Martian tightened her grip on the control orbs, glowing light blue under her grasp in the captain's chair. "We're approaching Santa Prisca."

The HUD on the window in front of them lit up, revealing some small information about the island that mostly confirmed what they already knew from their original debriefing. They descended below the cloud layer, and within a few moments, Naruto suspected it was his time to shine. "Drop Zone A in thirty."

Standing up from his chair, which morphed to fold back into the floor, Naruto clasped hands with Kaldur for a brief moment and shook them. "See you fools in a minute," he muttered, and activated his stealth gear at the same time that Kaldur did. As soon as M'gann communicated that they were in camouflage mode, the two holes in the floor opened beneath the Atlanteans' feet, dropping them into the expanse below.

The moment the water touched his skin, diving as hydro-dynamically as possible as to avoid an excessive sound, Naruto sighed with relief and continued forward, glad to see Kaldur at his side. The Atlantean signaled to move forward, keeping their voices to a minimum in case of sonic detection.

Naruto knew his wind sorcery wasn't available to him at this point in the mission, as the bubble effect underwater would be noticeable on the surface. When they came upon the huge netting that they needed to cut through to approach, he felt a bit bad sliding through the hole that Aqualad's sword of water slashed open. He kicked hard to keep up with his friend, his young stature and smaller musculature enough to hold him back a few meters.

The second he felt it, heard a sound, something was wrong, as they passed over a ridge lined with odd coral far below. His eyes could see them, but they hadn't seen him yet; even so, he was one hundred percent aware that it could spot them at any moment and stop them.

 _"Look below,"_  he stated, reminded of Kaldur's explanation of what happened the night they saved Superboy.  _"Cadmus takes on a whole new meaning. Or maybe it lines up with the old one. Remember what you said?"_

As Aqualad's eyes widened, they realized very quickly that deep below them, there were three serpentine creatures, of a different breed than the leviathan he ran across before. Finned wings lined their shorter bodies, and it was clear that either the books were wrong or Ismenian dragons are much smaller than they appeared. Despite that, neither of them wanted to face the creatures, and after a few seconds, they managed to get away as best they could.

When Kaldur motioned upward, and then immediately kicked off from the sandy floor to jump high overhead, Naruto followed him, tumbling through the night air. His tattoos glowed with light as he controlled his fall, an air current shoving his body in line so that he would land on his feet.

Aqualad pulled the device from his back, attaching it to the machine. After a short moment of hesitation, the machine beeped with their triumph.  _"Heat and motion sensors are patched. Data is now on a continuous loop. Move in."_

Naruto stared at him, unsure of how to really function in this world as more discoveries continued to shift them. The mythologies were probably all true to some extent, including all of their monsters and demons. He supposed he should be grateful that he had only run across Greek monsters so far, because at least he knew the general stories that they grew up on. Aqualad knew more.

"They looked like they were still growing, but this can't be a coincidence. Kobra is here."

The older boy shook his head. "I would not go that far just yet, but it seems likely. Perhaps there is simply a worldwide return of monsters, and it is merely a coincidence."

It would certainly seem like there was a worldwide return of gods as well, because for a long period of time, it was exceedingly difficult to talk to any of the Olympians, requiring special access to the Aegis on Paradise Island. Now, it seemed that at least one of them was making direct contact, alongside all these other mythological monsters suddenly attacking him.  _Is this related to my situation with Hermes? Does Kobra have mythological sea-serpents on speed-dial or something?_

* * *

 **SANTA PRISCA**  
JULY 22, 20:16 ECT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The hole in the Bio-Ship's floor opened at Miss Martian's command, and immediately, she, Robin, and Kid Flash dropped from it, the latter two tethered to it to control the fall. Robin gave her a small smile the second he dropped, admiring the way Martian technology worked and was so mutable; it was unlike anything that Wayne Tech could do, and he was intrigued.

But seconds after landing, it was by sheer luck that the three of them split-up to avoid Superboy's landing, shaking the earth and kicking up dust from sheer force. Robin scowled as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Knew I didn't need a line," the clone stated, smirking in the small crater he created from his landing.

"And yet, creating a  _seismic event_  may not have helped us much with the covert!" Robin half-whispered, half-said. This mission was going to fall apart if they didn't do something soon; the others, especially Superboy, needed Captain Atom's stealth ed pronto.

" _Riptide, Aqualad, Drop B is go!"_ the Martian said into the mental link.

" _Head for the factory,"_  he stated.  _"We'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP."_

" _Full disclosure, there's something… odd going on. Anyone familiar with Ismenian Dragons?"_

The four heroes stared at each other before Wally practically coughed with disgust.  _"Dragons aren't real, Riptide. Just misinterpretations of fossils."_

" _Well, you're dead wrong, KF. There are at least three of them in the ocean around the island right now. Cadmus was the hero who famously defeated one of them in the city of Thebes."_

Robin's eyes narrowed at the name, trying to decide if Naruto was just joking around or if he was serious about a dragon. Superboy's fists clenched, muscles tightening impulsively in the rainy jungle. _"Understood. I know you aren't going to want to hear this, but all of this can't be a coincidence. The leviathan, Cadmus, Kobra, and now this… it's all connected!"_

The flooding effect kicked in once more, a small amount of near painful discomfort fired like feedback, as everyone tried to express their emotions together.  _"We should rethink this plan,"_  M'gann stated when the link cleared enough for everyone to think rationally again.  _"It's not too late to turn around and call for backup. This seems far too big for us to handle alone."_

" _And abandon the mission?"_ Robin shouted.

" _Rob's right! That's not happening,"_ KF agreed.

 _"I'm not stopping until they are all unconscious under my feet,"_ Superboy said. _"If they truly are related to Cadmus, they deserve it."_

Aqualad was the voice of reason.  _"Focus on the mission at hand. Observe and report. You heard Batman."_

Robin was already planning. " _Yeah, yeah, but we can't lose this opportunity to investigate something bigger. We're already here, so let's figure out as much as we can."_ He turned to the three of them standing behind him, looking at the GPS signals of the two Atlantean teammates stalking toward them.  _"Meet us pronto."_

 _"Got it,"_ Riptide replied.

* * *

 **SANTA PRISCA**  
JULY 22, 20:37 ECT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Running through the forest, Kaldur and Naruto focused only on the pathway ahead. This mission was already going south, for various reasons. For one thing, the damn dragons that could rush onto land at any point were an issue. If they weren't careful, the two Atlanteans could be blindsided by creatures that probably shouldn't exist.

And now, they just got a warning that Kid Flash and Superboy discovered armed guards wearing cloaks by scanning ahead, which was even more terrible when considering that their impromptu leader predictably vanished. This mission was falling apart already, and they hadn't gotten any information relevant to the drug's production yet.

Aqualad shared a glance with Naruto. "Don't use the radios," Robin shouted a warning into their heads.  _"Wrist computer is picking up interference, maybe even a jammer. Miss M, I apologize for ever doubting how brilliant this is."_

Kaldur's eyes opened wide, but Naruto beat him to the punch.  _"If signals are being jammed, does that mean that they know we're here?"_

As though to answer the exact question, Riptide barely managed to get out of the way as a grenade incinerated the area between the two of them. Instinctively, even as pain wracked his eardrums, he shoved outward and blocked the heat with a blast of wind, diverting all of it to the south.

In nearly the same instant, gunfire peppered all around the island, echoing as seemingly every single guard caught on in the same moment. Kaldur rolled toward him and threw up his water-bearers, a shield covering him and Naruto from the spray fire.

 _"Shit,"_  Kid Flash offered.  _"My fault. Tried to go after one of the guards stealthily and fell underneath one of their vantage points. Ground is muddy from the rain earlier."_

 _"No use explaining it now,"_ Robin shouted.  _"Everyone move to the location I am marking to the map! We're stronger together!"_

Superboy's inexplicable scream into the mental link made Naruto shudder, even as he prepared his next move, deflecting another incendiary grenade. The blonde tried to ignore the ringing in his ear, even as Kaldur tried to say something to him.  _"They're going to burn down the whole island if they keep doing that. Be careful, M'gann."_

 _"Will do, Naruto."_ Her weakness to fire was well-known to the Team, and Kaldur and Naruto weren't very happy to be around it either. More prolonged exposure to the heat would dry them out, sap their cells of the extra water required to keep them alive.

Gunfire continued to rattle the area, and Kaldur ran forward into the thick of it, his superhuman strength enough to stop untrained thugs. When the older boy threw one of them into the clearing, Naruto whipped his head around in the middle of blocking bullet, unsurprised to see the source but still utterly terrified.

Those serpentine eyes flickered through Naruto's eyes, remembering how odd and pervasive they felt… It was like staring down a predator who knew exactly how to stalk and kill their prey. He froze in the memory of those eyes, those stark yellow eyes.

" _It's the Cult of the Kobra!"_ Kaldur yelled to the others.

Naruto didn't move, he couldn't bring himself to. The drachma was almost painfully heavy, a phantom sensation of burning against his chest.  _Hermes was right… Hermes was right…_

" _No way did Batman know about this,"_ Robin declared.  _"He would have told us if he did, because Kobra is grade-A League material."_

" _I'm sure I can handle him,"_  Superboy stated.

" _If Batman can't take care of him, do you think you can?"_ Robin challenged.

" _Please,"_ Superboy scoffed.

A bullet slammed into the ground in front of the Atlantean, barely missing his leg by inches, before Kaldur jumped in front of him with his shield out-stretched, kneeling down to block and defend him. "Riptide! Snap out of it!"

He shook himself out of his fear and immediately called on the winds to move around him. With each movement of his glowing arms, he hurled entire columns of wind into the trees, knocking cultists from their perches. Every pretense of stealth was gone from his mind; he didn't know what really drove him to move, whether it was to run or to fight. But he ran forward, dragging Kaldur forward even as a volley of slugs followed after him, unable to get close as he summoned a silver panel of hardened air.

"Thank you, Kaldur." He thought back to the mental conversation.  _"Guys, Robin might be right about him. I'm… not sure how powerful he is now. I think he used me to upgrade himself."_

" _What does that mean? Humans don't just download the latest Java update for themselves,"_ Wally said indignantly.

" _I wish I knew how he did it,"_  Naruto said, forcing himself to not add that he knew where he might get that information.

The two Atlanteans strove through the trees, guided by Kaldur's glowing GPS marker on his belt that was probably showing exactly where they were to anyone around. A sudden group of three cultists near a waterfall whirled around and aimed their rifles, but Naruto continued to run toward them, leaped into the air, and then slammed between them, a shockwave of silver air spiraling outward from him. They were knocked off their feet and into the path of the waterfall, and both Atlanteans worked together to use the water to their advantage, bending the force of the water pressure to knock them unconscious. Fishing them out of the river was easy, dropping them on the riverbank and crushing their communicators.

"Do you ever feel sorry for henchmen?" asked Riptide curiously.

Aqualad peered at him. "Hmm. I once had a conversation with my parents about this. We concluded that they made their choices and that they were just as complicit as their employers. But even then, I can see where there is room for sympathy. After all, one's life has to have gone down a dark road for someone like Kobra to sound enticing. Not many clear-headed individuals join cults."

Naruto nodded, staring at the black mask covering a woman's face. He fought down the urge to be afraid of her because of her association with her leader. He didn't quite accept Kaldur's view, but it was hardly the time to consider it. More gunfire sounded ahead, very close and beyond that ridge.

"They're just up ahead!" the other Atlantean shouted, urging them forward once more.

* * *

 **SANTA PRISCA**  
JULY 22, 20:48 ECT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

When they finally regrouped with the two Atlanteans, Robin and Kid Flash had just finished tying up the group they had just stopped. Superboy watched over them out of the corner of his eyes, daring them to make a move if they regained consciousness.

Avoiding the mental link, Robin was glad to finally begin rounding down everything they knew. "Make sure we watch the perimeter."

"We  _know_ , Rob. You don't to tell us what we already know," Wally stated, as he, M'gann, and Superboy began to look around and listen, the odd infrared goggles sitting over KF's eyes.

The acrobat stared at his best friend in frustration, annoyed beyond belief that he was being so obnoxious. "Whatever. So let's start from the beginning. The point of this is to figure out why normal supply lines have been cut off, and this island supposedly is the source of Venom."

"Sounds like Kobra was calling the shots," Superboy stated.

"He  _does_ have a snake motif," Miss Martian added. "Venom makes sense as a name, doesn't it?"

Robin considered the evidence. "Not really sure it actually fits. Of course, it's perfectly reasonable that maybe he doesn't feel the need to use Venom anymore to create super-cultists or whatever else he was going to do." He stared at the shark-toothed Atlantean, who raised an eyebrow. "He was well-trained enough to go toe-to-toe with my mentor and walk away nearly unscathed. You gave him superpowers."

Everyone shot back to stare at Naruto, who nodded but seemed angry for some reason. "Hey, it's not like I meant to do it! I didn't even know what the hell he was doing."

Robin frowned. "You still got into that situation because you were in over your head. Bottom line, you don't have the experience-"

The Atlantean rolled his eyes, glancing between him and Kid Flash. "Way to bring my age into this again. You two really are joined at the hip; do you actually think for yourselves or do you just parrot each other?"

"Hey! I thought we'd gotten past that, but you're dragging me back into it!"

"And I'll do it again because you're obviously going to jump in to defend Robin!"

The three of them continued to argue, and Robin felt like he was on the cusp of victory, until Aqualad walked in between them. "Enough!" The tone of voice and look on his face was seriously enough to make Robin quiver where he stood. "This has gone too far."

"Robin, we all begrudgingly agreed to follow your lead on this, but if you cannot remove your pettiness over matters that were beyond our control, then you cannot make effective decisions as a leader. How can you expect us to feel comfortable following your lead if you are going to throw our unity under the bus by blaming us for our mistakes in the middle of a mission? This is neither the time, nor the place to hold any of us accountable, especially someone who couldn't control that situation to even _be_ responsible."

The words needed to be said. Robin immediately recognized that, and even though he considered trying to argue, he caught himself and stopped, sighing. "Fine. You're right. I'm sorry for bringing that up, and I'm sorry for holding that against you. It was wrong to do so."

"It's not really fine, because I bet that it'll come up again. But I'll accept your apology for now."

It took them a long moment for anyone to say anything, and Robin truly felt terrible.  _How could I be such an ass?_

"So what now?" M'gann asked.

Robin was already there, the question shocking him from his reverie. "Now, we investigate the factory. We still nee-"

"No," Kaldur stated, earning a surprised look from nearly everyone. "The purpose of the mission is to gain knowledge of Santa Prisca's drug operation. However, we have landed ourselves in a situation where we are far outmatched. We have dragons just off the coast, and this man is a powerful threat, someone who was already strong enough and smart enough to evade and thwart the League's efforts to stop him. Now, according to Naruto's reports, he displays numerous abilities that, although untested, could be too much for any of us to handle." He glanced toward Superboy. "Even you."

"What abilities are we talking about here?" asked Kid Flash.

The blonde Atlantean looked around, trying to remember. "I'd say enhanced strength, speed, and malleability, but there could be more. Does anyone know who Plastic Man is?" Only Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash nodded. "He was able to stretch his body to attack me, like he had become part snake. I don't know how he compares or even how strong Plastic Man is, if he is at all, but when we fought, the only I could do was give Kobra a few scratches. He was overwhelming me at every turn and resisted nearly everything I did." Naruto gulped. "I was-  _am_  terrified, plain and simple, like he could have done anything to kill me and he wouldn't have hesitated at all."

Robin knew exactly where Riptide was coming from. Every time Robin fought a super-powered criminal, even with Batman at his side, the fear never left. Never. It didn't matter who it was, it never left.

No one replied for a long few seconds, before Kaldur finally cleared his throat. "Because of this reason, I suggest that we head back and call for the League."

"No!" Robin shouted, earning a nod from Superboy. "I'm okay with getting out of here, but at the same time, we don't know enough yet! And we can't even be sure that Kobra is here. His cultists are, but how do we know he is? After all, he seemed to have a secret base in Coast City a few weeks ago, where he fought with Riptide. He could be anywhere!"

Superboy looked up. "I'm with Robin on this one."

"Me too," Kid Flash agreed, still scanning the area with his goggles.

"But even if what you say is true, Robin, we can't be sure that he didn't spread those new abilities around," Naruto explained. "We don't have any idea how it works, if he could do that or not, if he'd have to use me again, or even if it was a onetime thing. There could be like fifty cultists with similar powers, or even fifty more cultists on Venom. "

Robin frowned. Naruto was right, and fighting fifty people on Venom would be incredibly dangerous, something that they would need more heavy hitters for. Superboy was strong and a virtually invulnerable tank, Miss Martian had the most powers and interesting diversion potential, Kid Flash was fast enough to get out of danger and hit people before they see him coming, and both Riptide and Aqualad were very trained in different aspects of their sorcery and physiology. Robin himself wasn't anywhere near their level in the event of fighting a hypothetical army of fifty super-powered cultists. But even if they all worked together, fighting an army of fifty would be suicide, even without counting the three mythological dragons. The League could handle it, but could they?

"All right. If we play this correctly, I think we can still get some more information. Maybe I can hack into travel records or maybe their supply records, while you create a diversion. We can still figure out information about why shipping is being disrupted, and figure out where Venom is going," Robin stated, before raising his hand to stop their objections. "I'm not saying we have to do this. But there might be ways to make it work so that we get out of this alive with the information we need to fulfill the mission objectives. As it is now, we are leaving our assignment unfinished, and if we want the League to take us seriously, then we need to complete the tasks at hand." He paused when everyone looked up to each other to see what they were all thinking. "Again, it's not something we have to do. If we're not whelmed about it, we can back out now. I'm sure the League will praise us for having self-preservation."

The night air was warm, and the clouds were gathering again as though preparing to start raining again. Everything around them seemed to continue as normal, the ecosystem unchanged by their situation, with SB and KF glancing around at the perimeter of their small clearing, listening and looking for trouble coming.

Aqualad turned to Riptide. "How do you feel about this? If we move forward, there's a chance that you could run into him again."

"All things considered, I don't know. I don't want to be anywhere near him again; I only got away last time because he can't breathe underwater. If he fought me on land, I bet he'd beat me again, and I'd be dead. And I think if he tried hard enough, he might could kill any of us."

Superboy huffed as though to challenge him, but the others were still affected by his words.

"But if the five of you want to try to complete the mission, then I won't abandon you. If we ran away from any kind of life-threatening odds all the time, then we'd get out of the business of fighting super-powered bad guys. And as much as I love it, I'm not interested in becoming a boiled wakame chef."

* * *

 **SANTA PRISCA**  
JULY 22, 21:05 ECT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The plan was sound, and fool-proof if they played it correctly. Unfortunately, it required everyone to split-up again, but it had more purpose this time. It was much more clear what everyone's roles were, and honestly, Kaldur was brilliant.

He'd taken command now. As soon as Kaldur's plan was brought up, with a tiny tweak or two from Robin, everyone sort of realized that it was always going to be Aqualad. He was the leader, and until someone else was ready to step up, he'd remain the leader. And Naruto could never have been more proud for him; he deserved it.

If this plan worked, it was because they all handled their individual parts in the whole and could use M'gann's telepathy to help adjust if needed, by telling people  _when_  to adjust. Their teamwork was making Naruto feel like he might actually make it out of this alive.

The six of them had found the top of a cliff overlooking the factory, and Robin pulled high-tech binoculars out of his pack. Superboy angled closely and listened, and Kid Flash still kept a look out for anyone who might interfere with them from behind.

The people below were moving around, several cultists carrying crates and setting them up on what looked like tarmac outside the huge building. Kobra was nowhere in sight, thankfully, because that proved that this mission might go off a bit better.

"Look at all that product!" Robin stated. "A buy is going down. But if Kobra's not selling to the usual suspects, then-"

"We need to identify that buyer," Aqualad added. "That adds a new wrinkle in the plan. Looks like the buyer will be coming by air, on that landing pad."

Naruto glanced toward them. "What do we do? If it's a copter, I can probably knock it out of the sky." Controlling the drafts between the propellers, even for a few seconds, would be enough to bring that down. It would be much harder to do it for a plane, but Naruto might could do that too if he had enough prep time.

"We'll consider it," Kaldur stated after a few minutes of consideration. "Is everyone ready to go?" They all glanced toward the factory and nodded after a time. "Miss Martian, Kid Flash, and Robin, call the cloaked Bio-Ship and get ready for your move. The rest of us will prepare for our own."

As soon as the other three members had disappeared in the ship, aiming toward the back end of the factory, Naruto nodded to the other two. "I'm ready when you are."

"Good," Superboy stated, slamming his fists together. "I'm ready for some action."

Naruto smirked. "You might not be so ready if Kobra calls for the dragons."

"I can handle them."

He couldn't argue with the clone's confidence. It made him feel so much better about this entire situation to know that Superboy wasn't afraid. Aqualad didn't seem to be afraid either, so Riptide decided to man-up and stop his shaking hands. "All right, let's go."

The three of them immediately jumped off of the cliff, the Kryptonian going much farther off of it than they did. He smacked against the rocks about halfway down, and then jumped again with both legs, arching toward the canopy.

Naruto and Kaldur stuck closer together, using his winds to control their descent. It was much slower, and required far more stops along the cliff, but in short bursts, the two Atlanteans landed on the forest floor and streaked towards the factory. Each time that Superboy landed on the ground, the sound was incredibly loud, enough to get their information.

" _The three of you may proceed,"_  Kaldur stated in the mind-link, just as the first wave of cultists fired into the tree line.

* * *

 **SANTA PRISCA**  
JULY 22, 21:11 ECT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Robin turned to M'gann just as Kaldur gave the word, holding the blue and red USB drive in hand. She stood at the back of the Bio-Ship, along with Kid Flash, as she took the device from him. "Get inside and find a control room of some kind, with a port that will fit; unless Kobra has a more powerful firewall than Batman, which he doesn't, it should only take a few minutes to wipe their systems clean. KF will be able to find you with your GPS to get you out of there the moment that you get in trouble, just give the word."

Robin honestly wasn't sure he felt completely ready to force her to do this, especially alone, because she didn't have the kind of experience with this as he did. But he didn't have her abilities, and no one could deny that it was ingenious.

She nodded. "Got it. Just a little nervous for everyone else." Placing the hood of her stealth uniform over her face, she faded from sight until only a very thin, blurry outline was left.

"They'll be okay, and you're going to do great," KF said, giving her a thumbs-up. The girl took a moment to breathe and then opened the back of the Bio-Ship, floating into the tree line and directly for the factory only a few meters away.

"She'll be fine, right?" asked KF.

Robin nodded. "Yeah, of course. She has to be."

* * *

 **SANTA PRISCA**  
JULY 22, 21:15 ECT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

 _This was a terrible mistake,_ Naruto realized as a bullet grazed his shoulder, a small cut more than anything else. He returned the attack with a horizontal arc of air, throwing three cultists back toward the pavement as they were pummeled by the silvery blast.

The Kryptonian clone smashed into the concrete from above, screaming out once as several tried to pepper him with bullets, but all of them were nothing to him. Naruto suddenly remembered the training session from earlier, realizing that his physiology might as well have been cheating. With an amused frown, he ran up behind the clone to use his body as a defense, before flipping outward and sending several blades of wind with every movement of every limb, cart wheeling back toward the tree line to his right.

Superboy gave him a nod before he immediately ran toward the factory like an unstoppable machine, an incendiary grenade going off right in front of him, the flames not enough to even give him pause. Naruto frowned more deeply, a tiny bit annoyed that the clone didn't seem to see how serious this was. He was  _having fun_ while going up against someone who terrified Riptide so much, and it didn't seem fair.

" _Helicopter's coming,"_ Superboy said.

" _Found an access port,"_  Miss Martian said with a nervous twinge of fear. A few seconds later,  _"Program's starting to hack through all security measures."_

Naruto was glad that the plan was working, and could tell that everyone was itching to get out of here, for the Bio-Ship to swing around and pick them all up to head home. He angled toward where he could barely hear the helicopter coming toward them, which became more and more clear.

The Atlantean darted toward the trees again, finding a secret place where he could potentially attack it from without getting into trouble. He avoided the places where bullets continued getting fired, hiding behind a log just as the projectiles ripped through the area where he had just been standing.  _"Aqualad, I can take that thing down. Just need a few seconds to focus."_

" _Can you do it without harming any passengers?"_

" _Um, I don't know, but it's going to land soon, so I need to do it now if we're going to do that."_  If M'gann wasn't busy, she could probably halt its descent if she worked alongside Naruto.

" _Don't,"_ he stated after a long moment of consideration. " _We cannot risk not getting the information we need."_

" _Got it."_

When the helicopter finally did land, Superboy ignored the cultists and shot right toward it. _"I'll get the-"_ Immediately, the clone was shoved out of the way by what could only be a huge monster of a man, tackling into the clone and firing him halfway across the tarmac.

" _That looks like the Blockbuster formula!"_ Kaldur said from where he was crouching behind cover, a couple dozen meters to Naruto's left.

Despite the fact that Kid Flash probably couldn't see from just inside the Bio-Ship, he gasped mentally.  _"If you're right, then there's the connection to Cadmus."_

Naruto ignored the stinging pain of his healing, his magic taxed for a few seconds as they healed the gunshot wound. He watched carefully as the monster stalked toward Superboy, trying not to think too much about the specifics and more about battle and how he could help.

The red-headed giant looked very similar to what happened to Dr. Desmond, his skin torn in places and revealing the tightly-corded muscles underneath. He slammed Superboy into the pavement, and Kaldur rushed forward with a mace and shield, blocking the ballistics and then slamming hard into the creature.

Superboy pulled himself up and then jumped toward the stumbling giant, a fist hitting him as hard as he could manage and hurling him toward the helicopter. He shouted angrily and then bounded toward it, leaping twice and then slamming another fist into the creature, denting the metal vehicle behind him.

Immediately, the door to the copter swung open and there was suddenly a javelin thrown toward the clone. The metallic object was nothing to Superboy, until he grabbed it to throw it back and it exploded, hurling him away.

Kaldur ran toward the mysterious stranger, and Naruto begged for his healing to speed up, and the assailant spun out of the vehicle with both feet outstretched, kicking the Atlantean's shoulder hard and throwing him to the dirt.

Riptide had no idea who this guy, the buyer, was, but his outfit was blue and black, with an armored look that matched the gray hockey mask that covered his face and left his blonde hair uncovered.

" _Sportsmaster is the buyer!"_ Aqualad shouted.

Naruto still didn't know who he was, but he reached for his radio to contact the League or Red Tornado. Unfortunately, there was nothing but static.  _"Radio signals are still jammed. Miss Martian, how you doing?"_

" _It's almost finished, I promise. Estimated at seventy-six percent complete."_

Riptide jumped up the second he felt ready, his powers slinging around him. A silvery vortex surrounded his lower body, inspired by both Red Tornado and Mister Twister. He wished he could use it to fly, but that wouldn't work. Even so, he ran toward them, adding more and more power behind it as it surrounded him, thickening and thickening until he was sure he would unleash it on everyone.

The giant creature pummeled into Superboy, even as the clone tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't work. Aqualad managed to flip back up and was prepared to keep fighting, twin swords at his disposal.

"Get out of the way!" he shouted to both Superboy and the other Atlantean. They complied when they saw what he was planning, jumping backward to ignore their opponents. Naruto concentrated on the wind below him, spiraling around him, and flicked his wrist toward Sportsmaster and this giant Blockbuster-enhanced creature.

The former was unable to hold on, and went flying across the pavement, so fast that he didn't have any way to recover. The silvery wall of air that hit him followed after him for a bit, as though it wanted to continue slicing into his armor.

The latter was hit by such a large blade x-shaped blade of wind that it cut into his hide, flinging him nearly as far as Sportsmaster had been. Any other cultists received the last of Naruto's concentrated build-up, spherical blasts of wind being just as annoying as their bullets.

Naruto smirked at his efforts, praying silently to the gods that Miss Martian was finished by now, and that the Bio-Ship was coming to collect them. The mission was nearly over, and while it would be awesome to apprehend them all or even one of them, that wasn't an objective.

Someone clapped several times, confusing the Atlantean and his two teammates. When Naruto glanced toward the source, he was immediately met with the robed figure of Kobra stalking toward him, a smile on his serpentine face. Those eyes seemed to stare into his soul and Naruto froze.

* * *

 **SANTA PRISCA**  
JULY 22, 21:36 ECT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

" _I've got it!"_  Miss Martian declared. The relief was immediately apparent to Robin, who was so happy it was over. The others needed their help right now.

" _Take it out of the control panel. KF is coming,"_  he stated once, and the speedster, having checked her GPS signal once more on the ship's controls, immediately blurred toward the factory.

His patience was wearing thin as he waited for them to return, while the rest of the Team continued to feed important updates as they happened. Every time that a rifle sounded, every ricocheting bullet, it was all a tiny bit of guilt wearing him down. He should be out there, risking his life, not sitting in the Bio-Ship behind bulletproof walls, allowing all of his friends to do the heavy lifting.

He stared at the controls of the ship, wondering if he could... No, not yet, he didn't have any concrete experience flying it. The Bat-Plane, yes, but not this Martian ship. And he needed to stay here until KF returned with Miss M in tow.

 _"Kobra is here,"_ Aqualad confirmed.  _"And he just threw Superboy like a rag doll!"_

 _"We're coming!"_ Kid Flash shouted, and within a few seconds, and Robin sighed with relief.

The black-suited speedster rushed into the ship, smirking once and dropping M'gann after carrying her bridal style. The Martian moved so fast into the piloting chair that it was almost like she had super-speed. "We are on our way." She held up the USB triumphantly.

KF and Robin dropped into two of the seats, Robin glad to be on his way out of this situation, but his best friend turned to him and presented something that he didn't expect to see. "Souvenir."

The ripped-up ski mask with a skull design was obvious to him, and his trained eye found the unmistakable stain of blood lining a hole right between where the eyes would be.

* * *

**SANTA PRISCA  
JULY 22, 21:45 ECT**   
**TEAM YEAR ZERO**

Naruto had not moved during that entire exchange, the first blows that Kobra dealt on his own in the fight. Kaldur had attempted to attack him with water projectiles, pressurized spheres which could tear the hide off of a sea tortoise if concentrated enough, but the man had somehow dodged it effortlessly, his agility improved to impossible degrees. When Superboy had attempted to rush him and was immediately rebuked and then hurled into one of the crates, Naruto knew he had to do something.

But he couldn't force himself to make a move, and the supposed contest turned into a stare off between the Atlantean and the snake-eyed man with powers to match.

"I can tell that you are scared. And that is what you should be feeling, young Riptide," he stated. "This is how men should react to being in the presence of gods."

Hermes ran across the boy's mind, and something was immediately apparent to him. The pure hubris of this cult leader was impossible to ignore. He remembered all the stories of the gods punishing mortals for having the audacity to compare themselves to them.  _Now would be a great time for you turn to turn him into a potted plant, Hermes, please. I'd settle for a bit of seaweed, just because I'm homesick._

Nothing happened, predictably. Even so, he had to move. Superboy couldn't continue to get hit by that monster forever, and Kaldur was much less durable. He knew that the others were very close to coming, so he had to get everyone closer.

"Are you going to say thank you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you going to thank me for giving you superpowers?" he asked, knowing he was stalling. "Don't you owe me at least a small amount of gratitude?"

"Do I?" the man mused, curious. The woman with a partly shaved head and nearly the same hair color as the giant behemoth - siblings, maybe? - smirked by her leader's side. Even as he said that, Sportsmaster walked toward them, favoring one side as though his leg was injured, and stood by Kobra and his minions.

 _"Get ready."_ M'gann's voice was wonderful to hear in that exact moment. " _We are swinging overhead... Now!"_

The three members of the Team immediately jumped up and grabbed the pink and purple tethers that seemed to come out of nowhere to anyone un-inclined. The second Naruto's hands wrapped around it, he smiled in what could only be pure relief.

The looks of shock on the enemy's faces were hysterical, as they held on and waited for the Martian to pull them upward. But Kobra reacted first, his hand striking out like a snake and grabbing Naruto's leg, fang-like fingers digging into his ankles. His arm stretched really far, a grotesque sight that ended when the man pulled his own body forward, until suddenly, the man was right underneath him, trying to climb up.

"You won't get away that easily!" the man shouted, forcing Naruto to struggle and for the tether to shake violently. "Shimmer, call the dragons!"

The Atlantean's eyes widened, but he couldn't let this stop him. "You know, this was a terrible idea on your part." His tattoos glowed brightly and almost immediately, a column of silver air pummeled the snake man, so fast and hard that it was impossible for him to hold any longer.

The man fell toward the ground, unable to do anything but fall back to the earth as gravity intended.

Unlike anything he had seen before, the three Ismenian dragons shot out of the sea from the southern coast, flying toward them so fast and hard that there was no avoiding them. They were not tiny at all, a mistake generated by perspective when Kaldur and Naruto first ran across them. They were each easily as large as the Bio-Ship itself, and when the first creature opened its maw to spit a fiery acid at them, Naruto could only react fast enough to cover himself and Kaldur with a rotating sphere of silver.

Superboy screamed in agony as it doused him with the liquid flame, the magic-infused monster enough to harm him. Naruto quickly extended it just as the second closest creature slammed into the Bio-Ship.

Spinning off course, they fell back toward the island and everyone was shouting both physically and mentally to try to regain some sense of communication and composure. Naruto and the others were yanked into the ship's interior, the porthole closing just as the creature aimed its acid toward the ship itself.

"This thing have weapons?" Kid Flash shouted as Naruto strapped himself into the chair she created for them. Superboy and Aqualad followed suit.

"Yeah, but it's weakening," Miss Martian replied, struggling through every word, as though someone was screaming in her mind. "She doesn't do well around fire either!"

"Shake it off!" Robin shouted, urging M'gann to do a spinning move in mid-air, and it worked just well enough to get some small space between them and the creatures.

M'gann angled the ship back around, looping so that she was higher and pointed directly toward them. The factory came into view, as did all three of the dragons. The Bio-Ship lurched for a moment, just as the red bolt of energy charged and then fired on the dragons.

The cannon blast slammed into the first, a laser tearing through its hide, and it slammed into its friends and they all fell together towards the factory. She fired once more, another red blast forcing them to fall faster, just as they crashed through the roof of the factory.

"Go, go, go!" Kaldur yelled.

They speared toward the sky, higher and higher until Kobra was smaller than an ant.

Kid Flash cleared his throat. "Uh, Supey, do I need to take you shopping for clothes again?"

Everyone turned to look at something that, during the chaos, they hadn't noticed. He was completely naked, his clothes having burned away in the acid attack, and he apparently hadn't managed to even notice. What burns he had retained were already healing, right before their eyes, so at least he didn't need medical attention.

When someone suddenly fell over, dropped to the floor of the Bio-Ship underneath the pilot's station.

Naruto just laughed. "I guess M'gann learned why they call him super."

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**  
JULY 23, 10:01 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Robin stared ahead, hoping to not be torn apart by the Dark Knight. He knew there was a lot to be ashamed about, considering the situation they were in. Based on the man's scowl as he stood before the five of them, it wasn't looking good.

"A simple recon mission. Observe and report." Batman stared directly into Kaldur's eyes, inches away from his face, before turning toward the rest. "You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your many mistakes." The tension in the room was palpable, and Robin almost wanted to argue to say that they did succeed in some aspects. "Until then, good job."

Everyone whirled around to see where Batman stood before Naruto, a small smile on the man's face. Robin's eyes were so wide that it almost hurt. "You planned well in the thick of it, in an interesting way that only a powerful telepath could provide. You correctly assessed the situation and acted accordingly, and succeeded to accomplish the mission parameters in a way that played to your individual strengths as a cohesive unit. Choosing a leader that can iron out the kinks between you and provide a tactical, stable support for everyone is key, and how you determine that person shows your character."

Robin smiled at Kaldur, proud to see that it worked. But as Batman started to walk away, the Boy Wonder ran up to him. "Wait, shouldn't we discuss what we know now? About Kobra and Bane?"

The man shook his head. "This is a  _League_  priority now, and not something to concern yourselves with beyond the data analysis you have already begun. I expect your results as soon as possible, and once we have assessed them, the League will discuss what to do about Santa Prisca."

The Boy Wonder frowned, turning back to the Team as Batman disappeared into the zeta-tube. "Fine."

"All right, pizza to celebrate!" Wally suddenly declared, stopping whatever awkwardness they felt. "There's a place in Central City that you  _have_  to try."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" M'gann said happily as they made their way toward the zeta-tubes themselves.

"Do they have veggie options?"

Wally laughed. "Of course they do, shark-boy."

"I think we have bigger things to worry about," Robin declared, earning a wide-eyed look from everyone else. He smirked, realizing that they probably didn't know what he was talking about. "After all, we _do_  have the living bottomless pit with us."

"Hey, I resent that!"


	13. Schooled

__**WASHINGTON D.C.  
JULY 31, 1:16 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO**

"Open up! Be up front with me for once, and I won't feel like you constantly owe me an explanation!"

It was nearly the middle of the night, his body ached from a fight with mobsters, and the warm, humid air was definitely unwelcome. Despite all of that, he glanced toward the shopfront and wondered if any of this was going to work.

Quite frankly, he was angry and felt he was completely justified in that anger. Sure, being furious at a god was probably stupid as hell, but he didn't care. He needed answers and he needed them now. The drachma had, predictably, stayed quiet even after he finally ran into Kobra, just like the man had said he would.  _Why was he so damned complicated?_

Even as he banged on the door of the shop that disguised one of the storage rooms that composed Hermes' divine delivery service, he knew he wouldn't get answer. The guy could probably be anywhere he wanted to be, at any time, and if he didn't want to speak to the kid, he wouldn't show.

Kicking the storefront hard, Naruto smirked as the glass cracked. He nearly prepared another kick, or perhaps some of his magic, but with a flicker of bronze light, the glass repaired itself before his very eyes.

"Of course. Why  _wouldn't_  the store be magically impregnable?"

After nearly ten more seconds of waiting on someone who wouldn't show, he twisted away and headed for the zeta tube, his impatience and indignation finally winning out. But as he stared ahead, a figure in a dark red hooded overcoat appeared ahead and he flinched away, nearly falling over out of fright. But the figure turned, and his rationality revealed it to be a freckle-faced teenager who definitely wasn't wearing a cultist mask.

Smiling at how stupid and hysterical he must be, he walked farther down the street and headed toward the non-publicized zeta tube in DC, hidden behind an advertisement for Forever 16 Suburban Outfitters. He figured going to the Hall, even this late at night, would just lead to attention he didn't want. Not in this state when he felt so angry.

But as he approached, he noticed the small flicker of golden light, surprising him. His first instinct was that it was Hermes, but the zeta tube came to mind, and Wonder Woman stepped into view, covered slightly by a dark blue jacket. But as she limped toward him, covered in bruises and a huge, deep cut running across her slightly exposed collarbone, it was clear that something was horribly wrong.

"Wonder Woman!" He said, reaching out to help her to an upright position. At first, she tried to lift up a hand to dismiss his efforts, but she winced through it and accepted his help.

"Riptide?" A small nod from the Atlantean made her half-smile. "I apologize for being in such a state," she muttered. "I had hoped to avoid the attention."

Thinking to the hidden zeta tube, he nodded. "I can relate. But what happened?"

She considered the information for a moment, her expression readable. "I'm not sure if it's my place to explain about matters concerning the pantheon."

 _Pantheon? That's what the Amazons call them?_  "I'm sure you have read my reports lately. We might be running into the same problems."

She seemed to realize it and nodded. "My apartment is only a few blocks away. I'll explain there."

Was she going to need help walking that far? But when she grabbed him and lifted herself into the sky, dragging him into Zeus's domain, he realized that maybe she was in better shape than he initially thought.

Flying like this was incredible, truth be told, the wind whipping around his hair and the adrenaline rush that she was going to fall at any moment and gravity would catch them both into its unforgiving embrace never really went away. Even knowing that she was who she was, the most powerful woman on earth, and perhaps the most well-versed in combat of the entire League. It didn't matter how long Batman trained, she was decades older than he was, trained by a race of warrior women who had been doing nothing but training for millennia. Being anywhere near her was so amazing.

"Do you heal fast?" he asked as they finally dropped to the ground in the apartment building's courtyard, shadowed by the moonlight overhead.

"I do on the island," she explained. "But you don't have to worry about me. Once we get inside, I'll take care of my wounds."

He nodded once, knowing that he would probably have never worried about whether or not Wonder Woman would be safe before. Now that he had seen her with wounds, the Themiscyra native looked much more vulnerable. And the idea of that was uncomfortable.

The League were like pillars of fortitude, powerful and strong and courageous and smart. He looked up to each of them in different ways, and felt particularly connected to Aquaman and Hal Jordan, although the latter had been more communicative than the former in a lot of ways. But seeing that they have flaws was an uncomfortable reality that he hadn't really considered. They seemed invincible to everyone.

The inside of the apartment complex was actually really sparsely decorated, and it almost felt.. empty. Of course, maybe that was just something that felt that way based on the fact that they flew in from the roof, and climbed down the hidden access shaft that lead right to her apartment. Naruto smiled at how cool that was, pointing to the automatic ladder that vanished back into the ceiling, the opening closing shut so tightly that you couldn't tell there was a shaft behind it. The ladder wasn't really necessary, considering she could fly, but it was better to have an access regardless.

"Batman does truly amazing things when he puts his mind and money toward it." The woman before him smiled, walking over to the refrigerator and pulling a bottle of water from it. At least, it looked like water, until the light of the fridge door vanished, revealing that it was glowing with a small light purple aura. "This is water from Apollo's spring on Themiscyra."

Naruto nodding, knowing the god of medicine probably provided all kinds of healing properties. Indeed, the second that it passed Diana's lips, she almost visibly improved and sighed with relief. "Why is it purple? I figured it would glow like the sun."

"Hmmm, I suspect that it is because the spring once belonged to Ascelpius." She paused a most to consider, while Naruto tried to remember who that was, if he was supposed to know him. "But none of that matters now. My wounds will finish healing by the time the sun rises."

"That's great." Naruto said, nodding, finally taking the opportunity to glance around the room. "So can I ask you what happened?"

"Yes, I don't see why not, but I must warn you that it is not for the faint of heart."

"It can't be much worse than an Ismenian dragon, can it?"

The woman walked over to the table, holding her hand over her already slowly closing wound to prevent any more blood loss. She beckoned him to sit down across from her, and he sunk into the rather comfortable chair.

"You're far too young to burden with this information," she said earnestly, raising a hand to stop any complaints from coming through. "But because of your unique encounters over the past month, I will make an exception." He didn't feel the need to mention that Hermes was making him his personal champion, whatever that meant, and if anything counts as a unique encounter, a god asking for a mortal's help is at the top of the list.

"The island is afraid; there is a tension in the air that we cannot break. Something is happening across the world, forcing ancient monsters to revive that shouldn't. The natural order is being upset. We do not know what it is or who it is or how it is happening, but we do know that the monsters are seemingly coming back and operating outside of the norm."

Naruto remembered Kaldur's idea, about monsters returning across the globe. He hadn't really considered it as something more than an idea, but if the Amazons are thinking it too, then it has to have some validity. "Like having Greek dragons from mythology in the middle of the Carribean?"

She nodded, running a finger along the enchanted bracelet. "Perhaps. Kobra is a suspect, but until we know more, we cannot pin it on him, only that he seems to be related to it."

He pointed to her wound. "So what did that?"

"A group of Keres," she explained, although that definitely wasn't enough information for Naruto. He had no idea what that meant. "They are demonic spirits with razor sharp wings that secrete a powerful poison. They haven't been seen or witnessed in centuries, if not longer, but suddenly, they are here. Along with leviathans and dragons and Hera knows what else. And it is very troubling news that cannot be a coincidence."

Naruto frowned hard, glancing at the sparsely decorated apartment, full of white and yellow and green color schemes. A lone picture in an ornate stone frame caught his eye, and something of...recognition came from it. He peered at it, revealing that it was a picture of a beautiful blonde woman, a circlet of silver on her head and a very beautiful chiton dress, just like all the pictures of Ancient Greece he had ever seen. The backdrop was of what he assumed was Themiscyra, considering the huge column to her right. But on her left was what seemed familiar about the picture.

A girl a bit older than him, and perhaps taller as well, with long black hair and bright blue eyes. Her dress was almost identical to the woman on the right, but her body language was much different, her arms crossed while the other was poised. Even so, she had a playful smirk on her face, and Naruto wished he knew why she looked so familiar.

"Who's that?" he suddenly asked, breaking whatever reverie she had been in. "In the picture there?"

Diana glanced up. "Oh, that's my mother Hippolyta and my sister Donna."

The Queen of the Amazons and her youngest daughter... "Why have I seen her before? Has she ever left the island? I can't remember meeting her, but maybe I saw her on TV?"

The Amazonian woman seemed surprised, but tried to disguise it and ultimately failed. After a few seconds, she met his eyes. "Mother will kill me for this, but have Orin or Mera ever mentioned to you that you came to Themiscyra?"

He frowned, trying to imagine why that might be helpful. "Well, I doubt I would forget seeing an island full of warriors as amazing as you are. Besides, guys like me aren't welcome."

"I won't give you all the details. You'll have to ask Mera or Orin to confirm that for you, to give you more." He visibly frowned. "But you were brought to the island to consult the gods. Because of the gender that you are, Mother had mercy on you by removing your memories of the event, but allowing Mera to remember."

"Oh. But if that's true, then why do I remember Donna?"

She frowned. "It's not a perfect process, and certain details are bound to slip through, but not enough to form solid memories. Even the Titan of memory, Mnemosyne, made mistakes. You probably recognize Donna because you were so similar in age at the time."

The woman's kind eyes were so warm and comforting. He could feel the sympathy flooding her, her face like an open book. "I can speak to Orin, the next time I see him, if you need help doing so."

He sighed. "I appreciate that. I know that I could probably talk to him whenever I wanted, if I really wanted to, but I can just feel the separation between us. It's hard to do."

She softened even more before nodding her head once. "Consider it done. I know how hard it is to feel like you are a world away from your parents. And you know it more than most ever will."

* * *

__**METROPOLIS  
AUGUST 3, 7:29 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO**

He didn't have much to go on, honestly, sitting on a bench in the middle of this giant city. It was Superman's turf, his protectorate. Standing among these huge spiralling towers of stone and steel made him feel something he couldn't describe, but it felt right here.

Superboy wished he knew why he was here, but he couldn't come up with a reason. He had ignored M'gann when she asked earlier, not because he wanted to be rude, but because he didn't know an explanation. He was sure he would come up with something later.

He sat in the middle of a small park, not far from the river, listening and watching the townspeople carefully, anything to pass the time. Everything from runners to businessmen and women were there, walking along the sidewalks. Quite a few well-dressed people stepped into the Wayne Enterprises building,and his reverie was cut off as a list of inane statistics about the company shot to the front for his mind.

_Worth forty-one billion American dollars, first on the list of top companies in the world by a narrow margin with LexCorp's steady gains, current CEO is Bruce Wayne- son of the murdered Thomas Wayne who catapulted Wayne Enterprises into the top of the list._

Clutching his head, he ignored his concentrated physical boundaries, and gripped the bench with his other hand so hard that the metal bent like a pliable piece of rubber. The genomorph knowledge continued to rattle his brain, including investment models and ways to exploit them, running again and again until he had to do basically anything to focus on but his mind.

"Son," a voice said, rattling him from his enraged stupor. Glancing up quickly, unable to avoid scowling initially, a man lying on some kind of board with wheels attached to it smiled up at him. Based on his style of dress and the smell, it was clear he was homeless, and when he realized the man had no legs from mid-thigh down, his eyes widened. "Can you spare some money for me? I have been asking around all day, but everyone always looks at me funny and refuses. You have that symbol on your shirt, so you have to be the one!" The bearded man lifted his shirt, revealing a tattoo of Superman's crest scrawled on his left, emaciated chest. Superboy could see the rib structure. "He's my hero too, you know!"

The clone frowned, uncertain of what to think. Staring into the man's eyes, he stumbled do with his words and eventually relented. Reaching into his wallet, he opened it up and frowned more deeply. The only thing inside it was the credit card that Tornado had given them, standard issue and only to be used for direct emergencies. "I'm sorry... I don't have any cash on me."

The homeless man's face sunk, but his reply was drowned out as Superboy's senses suddenly expanded. His enhanced hearing seemed to focus on an interesting sound, drawing his attention to the cable bridge over the river. Ignoring the genomorph voices explaining when the bridge was built, he let out a strangled apology and shot up, pressing his feet against the ground and then leaping toward the bridge.

He just barely heard the dumbfounded homeless man's outcry of, "Holy shit, it's Superman!", before his feet impacted on the pavement below, jumped once more and wishing that his ears were not superhuman.

* * *

 **MOUNT JUSTICE**  
AUGUST 3, 13:04 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The machine spun to life, glowing with yellow light, unsettling his stomach after eating at perhaps the only good vegetarian seafood place in all of New York City; he was in a frequent search for a place with boiled wakame, so much so that he reminded himself of Wally. "Recognized: Riptide, B05."

He walked into the cavern, already pulling off the civilian clothes he wore over his uniform; their first official training session with Black Canary was today, and he certainly didn't want to be late because he needed to change clothes.

"Hey guys!" he shouted out, tossing his discarded clothes into his bag and sliding it toward the tunnel that lead toward the kitchens. Wally and Kaldur were playing air-hockey using the computer system's holographic projector, and according to the score, his Atlantean friend was tied.

"How're you doing, Naruto?" asked M'gann, grinning as he patted her and Kaldur on the shoulder.

"I'm doing fine. So Wally, how can I distract you so that Kaldur can get the winning shot? Women? Food? Women _and_ food?"

Wally laughed and rolled his eyes, but his lack of concentration was barely hinted. "As if I'd fall for-" Near instantly, Kaldur slammed the puck into the goal, smirking as he and Naruto traded high-fives. "Fine, that was well-played, I have to admit."

Robin practically howled at his friend's embarrassing defeat. "Now I know how to win against you at Halo. Just show a porn video of a naked girl eating a hotdog, and you'll fall-"

"That's enough, Robin, we are in mixed company," Kaldur said with a polite smile to M'gann, who returned it with a small blush on her cheek.

"Does she even know what porn is?" Robin asked, and the girl nodded, perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Of course I do," she said, blushing further upon realizing her mistake. "I'm going to stop talking now."

"Good idea," Naruto said with a smile.

The Zeta-Tube suddenly whirred to life again, yellow light filling the room for a brief moment as their favorite clone materialized, his form solidifying and walking right toward all of them. "Recognized: Superboy, B04," the computer declared.

It was obvious to all of them that he was incredibly angry, but M'gann was full of hope. "Hi, Superboy. How was Metropolis?"

The dark-haired boy walked through the hologram and dispelled it, heading toward his room and ignoring them completely. Naruto frowned. "Hey, don't be rude and shut us out!" But his efforts went unnoticed.

Someone cleared their throat, and everyone turned to see Martian Manhunter and Black Canary approaching. Naruto was excited; he had never personally met her, but she had been there in the aftermath of the Cadmus event last month. She'd been too busy to begin their training, unfortunately, before then. "Ready for training, everyone?"

"Black Canary!" M'gann said excitedly, and then ran over to embrace the other Martian. "Uncle J'onn!"

"M'gann, I was… in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd see how you are adjusting."

"A few bumps, but I'm learning!" the girl said hopefully.

Wally snickered. "Yeah, she's learning all right." Immediately, Kaldur nudged him on the shoulder, hard enough for the speedster to suddenly shout. Naruto just laughed at his perversion, and M'gann blushed once more.

"Stick around." Superboy suddenly stopped as the blonde Leaguer called out to him. "Class is in session."

Naruto remembered the last time he'd tried to spar with Superboy, and he doubted that the clone would take it seriously this time either. Even so, the clone turned around and crossed his arms, as though waiting to see what all of this would be about.

The computer fired up, the ground lighting up with the white light of the training area, which would analyze their patterns and give some statistical feedback. Probably wouldn't be as valuable as one of the Leaguers themselves, but Naruto was still amazed by the tech.

"I consider it an honor to be your teacher," Canary stated, pulling off the jacket she wore over her uniform. Naruto had to admit that he was starting to feel a little bit too much like Wally; forcing his eyes away with a blush, he refocused on her words. "I'll throw a lot out at you. Everything that I've learned from my own mentors, and-" she grimaced, revealing her bandaged arm, "my own bruises."

"What happened?" M'gann asked.

"The job," she declared, tossing her jacket away. "Now, combat is about controlling conflict. Putting the battle on your terms. You should always be acting, never reacting." She looked thoughtfully at them. "I'll need a sparring partner."

Kid Flash was the first to volunteer, raising his hand. "After this, I'll show you my moves."

Canary peered at him and then smirked. Throwing a punch toward Wally's left side, it proved to be a faint as Wally's body shifted to block it, opening him up. She dropped to the ground and kicked outward, sweeping his feet right from under him before he even had a second to react. When he fell to the ground, the computer pinged with the status message that Kid Flash had failed.

"Good block." The woman pulled him back up and smiled. "But did anyone see what he did wrong?" Naruto didn't know what he did specifically wrong, but Kaldur probably knew.

Robin raised his hand, laughing. "Ooh, ooh, he hit on teacher and got served!"

"Dude!" Kid Flash yelled.

Canary did not dignify that with a response. "He allowed me to dictate the terms of-"

"Oh please," Superboy suddenly declared, cutting into the conversation. "With my powers, the battle is always on my terms. I'm a living weapon, and this is a waste of my time."

Naruto couldn't say he was surprised to hear him say it; the clone was always so confident in a fight that he probably thought he was immortal, unbeatable, or even downright untouchable.

"Prove it."

The tension in the room increased as Superboy stared the woman down and then walked forward, and Kaldur wisely pulled them backward in response.

They both took a stance, putting up their arms, and when Superboy shot out the first punch, Canary made to block it with one hand and then twisted both of them outward, grabbing his wrist and forearm, and then flinging him over her head. The Kryptonian clone landed on his ass, and Robin couldn't help but laugh. Kaldur nudged him as well, and Naruto was rapt.

The Atlantean knew he needed help in close quarters combat, because his sorcery could only get him so far. Learning how to deal with superpowered enemies who could cancel his powers or even ignore them was paramount to him. He might meet someone on the level of Mister Twister again someday, and his winds were practically useless in that fight. He needed ways to supplement that, and taking advantage of his physical body might be the way to do it. Kaldur was much more well-rounded than him in that regard.

Superboy shot up and cried out with anger, throwing back both arms menacingly. "You're angry. Good, but don't react. Channel that anger into-"

She was cut off as he suddenly ran, attempting to rush her and grab her with either arm. Canary moved fluidly, sneaking into his space, pushing off of his shoulders, and fell behind him. As soon as she landed, she swept a foot outward and dropped him cold.

Robin's vain efforts to disguise his giggling were not lost on any of them, although he wasn't really trying to hide it either. The playful Boy Wonder got an intense glare from the clone, but Robin wasn't too concerned. Naruto was intensely interested in how Canary had done that, and just how she had gotten so much experience fighting people who were so many times stronger than her.

She tried to pull him up, but he shoved her hand out of the way. "That's it. I'm done."

"Training is mandatory," Canary corrected, just as the computer beeped. A screen lit up, revealing the face of the League's chairman.

"Batman to the Cave," he started, earning everyone's attention. "Five hours ago, a new menace attacked Green Arrow and Black Canary in Star City." A picture of the redhaired man appeared in the corner of the feed. "The attacker was capable of studying, then duplicating the powers and abilities of its opponents." The video feed showed the new menace literally throwing Superman around, knocking Red Tornado and the Flash out of the way. "Arrow called in reinforcements, which nearly proved disastrous as our foe gained more and more power with each combatant."

Naruto was shocked at the idea that someone, or something, could ever be that strong. Throwing the Man of Steel around like a rag doll? Thinking to Black Canary, and the need to train, it was clear that this might be someone who was out of his league. He needed to get better, to train more, to become great. If people like this were the norm, then he needed to do more.

"Whoa. One guy with the powers of the entire League?" Wally said in amazement.

"In the end, it took eight Leaguers over four hours to defeat and dismantle the android."

Robin went wide-eyed. "An android? Who made it, T.O. Morrow?"

"Good guess, Robin," he answered. "But Red Tornado doesn't think so."

Naruto's head was spinning. "Another robot? Seriously? Who keeps making dangerous robots?"

Martian Manhunter glanced at them gravely. "The technology bears the signature of Professor Ivo."

"Who's that?" asked M'gann.

"Anthony Ivo joined a criminal organization known as Locus, after his unethical cybernetic experiments removed him from the staff of Ivy University," explained Batman. "His experiments and creations are immensely dangerous."

"He's supposed to be dead," Kaldur said, earning a raised eyebrow from Naruto. Why did Kaldur know about that personally? Had he fought against some of his creations before? Or was that something that King Orin had told his sidekick, but neglected to mention to Naruto? The thought made him more solemn.

"So we all hoped," Canary finished.

* * *

 **WATCHTOWER**  
AUGUST 3, 18:31 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Aquaman scanned the computer's display, listening to it read out sensitive information about the threat known as Amazo, but they didn't have much to go on. It was very troubling to think that the machine could adapt to such an intricate level; learning the powers was one thing, but to also have the processing power of a highly-advanced computer? Had they more enemies who could interact with sensitive information like this?

"If only I had been there," a voice stated behind him, and he craned his head to see the familiar face. The winged heroine smacked her powerful mace into her hand, frowning while staring at the video files. "I doubt he could handle this."

Orin reflected for a moment, before ordering the computer to find an isolated clip of Amazo using Captain Atom's powers. "Pause, right there." The feed stopped, revealing that in the center of the android's hand was a small, mechanical hole that projected the energy. "It looks like it duplicates the powers by creating a device to supplement them. I doubt even your mace would be immune."

Shayera frowned. "That's worrying, considering what this is made of. Nth metal, mined directly from one of Thanagar's mining colonies." She paused to stare into the android's gaze. "I'm glad that neither Katar or I were there."

Orin nodded. "Imagine what he could do if he could mimic a power ring. For once, I'm glad they are off-world."

He paused to look over the report, preparing on orders from Batman for any kind of second altercation they could have with Amazo or a similar situation. Power duplication was not uncommon, but usually was not to this threat level.

"Hello, Diana," Shayera said, her right wing flexing slightly to gesture to her. "How are things going?"

Orin turned to greet her, shaking her hand. "Good to see you again. Our business has kept us apart for the past few weeks."

"Likewise, to both of you," the Amazon stated. "I hope you are doing well. Did either of you participate in the fight?"

They both shook their heads. "What do you make of this?" The king asked.

"It's a level of robotics that I have never witnessed," she explained. "Anything else pales in comparison."

Orin had to agree with that. One of the most memorable experiences he had was an operation in Markovia, and the entire affair with Baron Bedlam had turned truly horrific when the tsunami hit. Without even fighting Amazo personally, he could feel the significant difference.

The three of them settled into a comfortable silence, analyzing data and looking for any kind of connection that could help later. After seeing the uncomfortable expression on Wonder Woman's face for a few moments, he finally peered up at her. "Is something wrong?"

Her eyes bugged out for a moment before she sighed, turning to him. "Nothing is wrong, but may I speak to you for a moment in private? Now's a good a time as any, since we can't seem to gather any new leads."

"Of course." The king nodded and followed Diana into the hallway, toward the conference room. An interesting place to do so, so it must be important.

"I ran into Naruto the other night after the battle with the Keres," Diana began, and Orin had to fight away the pained expression and guilt wrenching his stomach apart. "We discussed quite a few things, but he saw a picture of my sister and something clicked in him, and he remembered her." Orin listened to the rest of her explanation about the visit to Themiscyra so long ago, uneasiness eating away at him. "He doesn't think he can talk to you himself about these matters. I promised him that I would bring all of this up with you, so you can do with that information what you will."

The look of concern on her face was evident, and she meant no malice. Orin could tell she was worried for the boy, and for the relationship with the closest thing to a father he ever had.

"Thank you for telling me," he said after a moment of thought. "What I had to do, for the sake of my kingdom, was the hardest thing I've ever done." She raised an eyebrow, and he frowned. "I don't mean that as an excuse or a way to justify it; Naruto should not have had to shoulder that kind of burden, like he was some kind of sacrifice to keep the kingdom together. I shouldn't have thrown it on him. I… hate this."

He sat down, fist clenched in anger at himself. Wonder Woman looked at him softly and sat next to him. "What do you think it will take to make us closer?"

The woman had no answers. "I'm afraid that only you and Mera know the answer to that. Communicating these things to him is a good first step; doing nothing more than nodding at him from afar is not going to cut it, Orin, because it only furthers the divide between you." She glanced up to meet him in the eye. "Maybe asking  _him_  might help too."

* * *

 **LITCHFIELD COUNTY**  
AUGUST 3, 20:08 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Superboy, for the second time that day, was in the presence of Superman and felt a solemn rage building up within his body. Separated by a thin veil of bushes that he could see through by focusing with his enhanced vision, he knew the other man was watching him instead of the trucks being loaded with the parts of Amazo.

" _Why didn't they break apart the android even more? I mean, wouldn't it be better to destroy it into so many pieces that no one would ever be able to use it again?"_ asked Naruto through the mental link that Superboy didn't even realize was established. He forced down whatever outburst he could potentially make at M'gann for doing it without telling them ahead of time.

" _There's a reason it's going to STAR Labs, Riptide,"_ Robin corrected. " _The League probably wants to study it."_

" _Why?"_  M'gann asked. " _I can see how it could be useful, but it sounds a little too dangerous."_

" _All the best developments in science are,"_ Kid Flash stated.  _"The League could fund smaller, less potentially dangerous versions of this thing, and use them as a fighting force to help crime and disasters across the globe. Maybe even beyond, but that's probably a few decades away."_

" _Awesome. So we can help_ them _put_ us  _out of a job in the future,"_  the clone surmised.  _"How long until there's a robot version of Superman too, so I can feel even less relevant than I already do?"_

" _Superboy…"_ M'gann said with concern.

" _Look, dude, that's just one example of the things they could do by studying it,"_ Wally explained. " _Lots of supervillain tech, you know, the mad scientist stuff, gets left behind when the League or someone else stops them. It doesn't make any sense not to try to turn their genius into something good for humanity. Look at Red Tornado!"_

They got their signal to go, as the decoy trucks began to move down the highway, three each splitting up and going in different directions. Superboy was glad that M'gann was on the other team, because after a certain point, they would be too far apart for her telepathy.

They drove down the road in comfortable silence, the radios on their ears only buzzing lightly with Kaldur giving updates for the other side, every five minutes, to say that they were fine. Superboy lost track of time, scanning ahead with his X-ray vision to look into the vehicle, the parts of Amazo still locked inside.

"If 'dislike' is the opposite of 'like', then is 'disaster' the opposite of 'aster'?" asked Robin curiously from the cycle beside him, and Naruto followed suit to level with Superboy on his other side. The clone had no idea why he was saying that because it came out of nowhere. "See, instead of things going wrong, they go right."

"I think Queen Mera would be upset with you," the Atlantean explained. "She and Aquaman tutored me in English, alongside my other studies at the Conservatory. I don't think you can just switch meanings of words around like that."

Robin shook his head. "Sure I can. Words only having meanings because we give them meanings. So why can't we switch words around? It's only logical sometimes, and I think 'aster' is a gem!"

Superboy didn't have anything meaningful to add, so he just let them argue over something pointless. But it wasn't meant to be, when Naruto suddenly turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

He didn't know how to answer that question, because there were a lot of things running through his head. Superman, the mission, Superman, the mission, the training session, Superman… He settled for the safer option.

"Canary," he stated after only a moment of hesitation. "What business does  _she_  have teaching combat skills to a guy with super strength?"

"Taking down stronger guys is part of the gig," Robin stated; of course he would take her side. All Robin had done was laugh at him during the session. "Canary learned that the hard way. The same thing with Batman, and well… me."

Superboy drowned out Naruto's follow-up comment, not wanting to be double-teamed by two people who just didn't get why he was so frustrated. And he doubted they ever would.

* * *

 **WATCHTOWER**  
AUGUST 3, 20:25 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

"I don't know what to do, quite frankly," Orin said to the ghostly holographic image of his wife. She looked haggard, like she had been up for several days without adequate sleep or even proper meals. He hadn't visited home in a few days, after spending time in the Arctic Circle. He'd been helping some of the hand-picked mages from Mera's personal staff monitor how to begin restoring the ice-shelves. It was a new initiative that might prove fruitful, if handled correctly, to combat rapid melting.

Mera nodded. "Diana is right. You need to talk to him. I need to talk to him. As soon as I get a chance to sneak away, I think I'm going to come and visit him. Make it a surprise. Do you think he would object?"

Orin considered it a moment, remembering how awkward it was on his birthday last year. She'd seen him in bits and pieces since, but that was such a train wreck that they always feared it would happen again. "No, he wouldn't reject either of us, but perhaps we deserve it."

The queen shook her head. "Maybe we do, but it doesn't do anything to keep telling ourselves that. We made the right, yet terrible, decision, and we have to live with the consequences." She sighed. "Maybe it's time to tackle the big question you've been wondering for years. I can handle the beginning stages of it myself- I have grown quite used to paperwork- but it will come better from a united front."

Mera had a mischievous look on her face, and Orin had no idea where she was going with this. When she finally brought it up, as well as her plan to make it happen, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"That just might be stupid enough to work. Put Orm on it immediately."

* * *

 **LITCHFIELD COUNTY**  
AUGUST 3, 20:33 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto sighed heavily when he first heard them, coming up behind them so fast, sounding nearly like someone playing the same stereotypical monkey laugh track, on some kind of auto-tuned filter. When he twisted around to look behind him, one member of the swarm of mechanical green monkeys with jetpacks swirled overhead, giggling menacingly.

"Robin, Superboy, Riptide! Our truck is under attack!" Kaldur warned via radio, and Naruto realized it was a coordinated effort. Either they were attacking all six trucks, or they knew which ones were decoys and which weren't.

"Kinda figured," Robin declared.

There was a momentary pause before Superboy suddenly sped up. "I hate monkeys!"

They had attached themselves to nearly every surface of the truck, even attacking the cab. Naruto was the first to react as Robin commented that this was definitely the work of Ivo.

He took advantage of the wind billowing around him from the moving cycle, several silver blades arcing off of him as both his arms glowed beneath the thick jacket. One monkey was chopped in half effortlessly, his attack leaving a small scar in the armored plating of the truck, and another was blown off and onto the ground. Aiming more intently, he slashed into three of the jetpacks, the sudden spark of the fuel causing them to explode into bits.

"These things were  _made_  to be exploited by someone like me," he shouted, continuing his efforts as he shot forward and into the oncoming traffic lane, flinging them off one-by-one with well-placed winds.

Robin's bike suddenly shifted, the second wheel detaching and transforming into a flying contraption, hovering above them with cannons. Naruto knew that was really useful, and was nearly ready to do the same with his own, before Superboy suddenly leaped from his bike and onto the top of the truck. The motorcycle crashed to the ground, spinning uncontrollably and careening right for Robin's own ride.

He shouted something unintelligible as he fired something that stuck to the decoy truck, tethering him to it while he fought to remove them from the back. Naruto turned his focus back to the eye-laser wielding robots, laughing as three of them tried to attack him from both sides.

Expelling all the wind his bike was generating, a pulse of rotating air spiraled outward, shoving the attackers away wildly in all directions. One of the lasers they had attempted to fire at him missed, destroying one of its own kind that had nearly bored a hole into the drivers' side window.

A flash of green light and Superboy suddenly cried out in pain, and Naruto freaked out at the idea of something hurting him. Four of the robotic monkeys had grabbed Superboy and carried into into the air while he screamed at his smoking eyes, properly burned from the attacks. Riptide realized their game plan very quickly, muttering the actual word to focus the new spell he was working on. **"Pigmaho!"**

A proper fist as large as Superboy himself of pure pressurized silver air swirled from the top of the truck, swinging backward and then slamming into him from the side before they could drop him. Naruto feared that he might have missed, but when his friend flew uncontrollably through the air, it was Robin that managed to think fast enough to save the day.

The same high-tension cable Robin had used earlier had tethered Superboy to the truck as well, just before he fell, but the clone wasn't coherent enough to actually recover and use it to grab on. He was dragged painfully across the ground, and as Naruto wheeled around to help him catch up and get back on, one of the monkeys finally noticed.

Burning through the cable was ridiculously easy for its high-focused eye-laser, and a very angry Superboy with damaged eyes and tattered clothes was left behind.

"I'll swing back around to pick him up!" Naruto shouted to Robin, knowing this was a bad situation and they couldn't handle it without him. But the Kryptonian leaped toward the truck, covering nearly half of the distance in one leap, and it was clear that he might not need help. Signalling with his radio, he barked, "Robin, stay on the back of it! I'm going to try something! And sorry, Superboy, for hitting you back there."

Focusing hard on his magic, feeling that he had well over three-fourths of his energy left, he focused so hard that the air around the truck had begun to glow bright silver, so much so that every area but the pocket of air surrounding Robin was shimmering with his energy. Adding spin, careful not to actually physically touch the truck with any of the wind force he was generating, every single robot enemy was suddenly in the midst of his control.

Naruto immediately shoved both arms together and then wildly apart. His element pressurized around the monkeys and then were pulled in both directions, sending them all flying far away into the endless cornfields. There were no more monkeys attacking the vehicle, and Robin gave him a thumbs-up. "Wow, that was great! Totally aster!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. Satisfied with his attempt and only momentarily exhausted, the Atlantean watched from his bike as Superboy suddenly landed hard on the top of the vehicle. It seemed to be over, the threat done, and they just had to wait now for an update from the others. The clone rubbed at his eyes, trying to get it to feel better, when they immediately heard the sound of giggling monkeys.

Bursting from the side of the cornfield, the four surviving robots from Naruto's attack flew toward the vehicle. One moved so fast that he smacked into the passenger's side window, shattering the glass as it exploded against it.

The driver, so terrified, jumped out of the vehicle and into the cornfield, and only through instinct did Robin attach another of his cables to the flying battle-mode remnants of his bike. The truck spun uncontrollably, moving so fast that nothing could stop it, and Superboy was unable to get away, stuck for the ride. It tumbled again and again, smashing against the pavement hard.

"Superboy!" Naruto yelled, speeding toward the truck and braking just in time for two of monkeys to fly off with the parts of Amazo. He tried to slice them with a blade of wind, but the unencumbered last monkey flew toward it on a suicide mission, intercepting the air blade and slicing it in half. The other two were moving fast enough to be out of his range, flying higher and higher over the cornfield. "Damn it."

The Kyrptonian suddenly roared, opening his eyes again, and he leaped after them, perhaps the only one of them who could actually go after them safely. Robin forced the battle-mode bike copter to drop him off next to Naruto, letting go of the cable that had saved his life.

"Aquaman to Robin, we lost our cargo. Did you-"

"It's gone," the youngest member of the Team declared, and Riptide sighed. "And Superboy too."

After a moment, Kaldur called out to Superboy as well. "Radio your position, and we'll meet up to help you."

"I don't need help! Don't want any!" the clone yelled into the machine.

After a moment, Robin shook his head. "I think he ditched his comm."

"Super!" Wally shouted dramatically, his voice far too loud over the earpiece. "Now we can't even track  _him_."

"He's out of my telepathic range," M'gann said. "This Professor Ivo, if he  _is_ alive, seems to be two steps ahead of us. Maybe we should contact Red Tornado?"

It was a reasonable idea, Naruto decided, but even then, there's no guaranteed way to track them. He glanced to Robin, who was staring intently at the remnants of one of the robots, the last one that Naruto's magic had bifurcated cleanly.

"Red Tornado always tells us to handle things ourselves, and the mission can still succeed if we recover the parts before they are reassembled." Aqualad's wisdom was deep, but Wally was indignant.

"Ah, that's a great plan. Except for the part about us not knowing where to look!"

Naruto looked to Robin, who was knelt down over the robot, staring at its parts. "What are you thinking, Robin?"

"Well, chances are, they are being controlled by someone, if it isn't Ivo himself, and he'd want to keep track of their progress in the mission," the boy declared, hooking his wrist computer to a hidden panel. It hacked into its programming within a few split-seconds. "Amazo's parts have GPS too! So the monkeys are able to track the signal! It's the same way that Ivo or the enemy are tracking the monkeys."

The hologram filled the screen, and Naruto stared at it. He wished he knew more about how GPS systems worked, in order to be able to follow what was happening, but Robin was their tech guy for a reason. Even then, he could still read the map that was being displayed, and after a moment, he realized it. "Oh man, are they headed to Gotham?"

Robin's eyes widened. "Yes! You're right, the parts are converging there."

"That far south?" asked Kaldur into his comm. "M'gann and I won't get there anytime soon." The other Atlantean paused a moment. "I'm sending Kid on ahead to meet you. Aqualad out."

Naruto revved the engine on the bike. "Hop on, Robin. We're gonna do our best to get there as soon as possible. You know, so it can be asterous or aster or whatever."

Robin just grinned. "I like your style, Riptide. Definitely asterous."

* * *

 **GOTHAM CITY**  
AUGUST 3, 21:23 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Even as the forgotten remnants of the robotic monkeys lay all around them, an easy target for someone like him, Superboy knew they had nothing on the red-headed android before him, standing in front of the previously-thought-to-be-dead Professor Ivo.

He stood up, wiping away the sweat on his chin, and stood before it challengingly. "Give me your best shot!"

Ivo laughed as his monkeys did. "Please. My android has the strength of Superman. What chance do  _you_  have?"

Superboy felt the anger bellow out of him, and propelled himself through the moving train car. Trying several strikes, they were easily blocked without much effort, and without Amazo's face changing at all. He continued to smack his fists, aiming in different places to keep the robot guessing, and then managed to get a lucky one on its jaw.

The head twisted around grotesquely, before righting itself as it caught his fist in its hands, forcing Superboy to feel pain. Its grip was more powerful than anything he had ever felt, and he could almost feel the bones in his hand cracking under the pressure.

"Oh, sorry. Did that strike a nerve?" Ivo questioned. "Amazo, strike a few more!"

The android complied, slamming a fist into Superboy's jaw and sending him flying into the ceiling of the train car. The Kryptonian recovered easily, pulling himself off the ground, just as Amazo's eyes glowed red.

"Access: Black Canary."

Its voice was so robotic, and its mouth suddenly twisted until it looked like there was some kind of high-tech speaker in its place.

The second the sound waves hit him, Superboy screamed in agony and was thrown into the back of the train car, smacking hard against the steel and begging for this to all be over soon.

"Access: Flash."

Mouth having reverted to normal, the android suddenly ran forward, blurring from his direct line of sight, and Superboy was suddenly pummeled by so many striking limbs that he didn't know what to do. He tried to force himself up, inwardly deciding that he would prove he was worthy. The mantle was going to be his someday, so he shoved himself to his feet.

"Access: Superman."

The kick was so powerful that the Kryptonian clone was forced out of the train car, falling hard and fast into the outskirts of the city below. He felt his consciousness leave him for a brief second as he smashed through the brick wall, tumbling end over end into something that looked almost like a school.

He didn't hear Amazo's call for a different power, but when crimson winds brought the robot and his master into the school, Superboy could do nothing but grit his teeth, spitting out brick dust stuck between his teeth.

* * *

 **GOTHAM CITY**  
AUGUST 3, 21:44 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto dropped the bike to the ground and ran into the building, Robin vanishing as he usually does the second he managed to stop. Despite the fact that Gotham Academy was clearly in Robin's territory, he didn't need directions to find the fight. It was loud enough to handle that on its own.

He was fully aware of the danger he was walking into, but he didn't care. His friends' lives were at stake, and he would do anything to protect them.

The gymnasium was in shambles after an impressive fight between it and Superboy, but his teammate was clearly losing. A small, frail old man sat on the bleachers, surrounded by a group of his robotic monkeys. He might as well have had popcorn on his lap, watching the fight with such intense enjoyment.

"Access: Black Canary."

Naruto threw up his hands over his ears, tattoos glowing bright silver. A pocket of air surrounded him, protecting him from the powerful sonic attack. Superboy wasn't so lucky, screaming so loudly as his ears bled.

Robin appeared out of nowhere behind the robot and tossed several pellets at him. However, the opponent was somehow aware of them, probably through some kind of sensor.

"Access: Martian Manhunter."

He density shifted out of the way, going intangible long enough to withstand the explosions. When he suddenly extended his arms like long tentacles, not unlike what Kobra had done before, trying to grab him, Kid Flash arrived in the nick of time and yanked Robin out of the way.

Naruto took that moment to make his move, summoning as many silver blades of wind surrounding him as he could manage in a short time, and then ran toward the mimicking android. Superboy seemed to move in the same moment, and the row ran alongside each other for a brief moment. Naruto struck out one arm like a snake, and the half dozen air attacks on his right spiraled toward the enemy very quickly.

"Access: Captain Atom."

Superboy returned his earlier favor, pushing Naruto and forcing the nuclear beam to miss the Atlantean, then took the two nuclear blasts to his chest and face. The clone crashed into a water fountain behind him, water spewing out across the floor.

Naruto glanced up as he recovered from Superboy saving him from certain cancer, in time to see the aftermath of the blades. Just like on the armored truck during the initial attack on the highway, there were several small scars across its arm and torso.

Throwing another wall of wind as he shoved himself to his feet, the android just stared at him.

"Access: Red Tornado."

Crimson spirals of wind cancelled his attack, and in the same moment, cancelled Robin's explosive bird-a-rang. And Kid Flash's attempt to run at him to disorient him, thrown into a row of closed bleachers by a vortex of wind.

"It's no use," Professor Ivo said.

Kid Flash was the first to recover and ran at him once more, and Naruto glanced around frantically, trying to figure out any kind of added attack. Spotting the water on the floor, he took control of it, and it swirled toward him.

"Access: Superman."

The android grabbed Kid Flash in his super strong grip, and Naruto was too late to do anything. But like some kind of divine intervention, the android twisted his attention and frowned.

"Access: Martian Manhunter."

He density shifted to avoid the arrow that would have struck it in the temple, letting go of Wally, who sped out of the way and huffed for breath.

Robin attempted to throw more projectiles, this time an electrified cable that he promptly detached from his person, but the android ignored it completely, letting it pass through him again. Superboy rushed at him.

"Access: Black Canary."

Grabbing his wrist in the same move that the woman had used earlier, Superboy crashed end over end into the bleachers.

"Access: Superman."

Heat vision attempted to bore a superheated hole through Wally, but he sped out of the way and lead the attack right toward Naruto. The Atlantean formed a hard-water shield in a split second and immediately, the entire room was filled with steam.

Focusing hard, Riptide took advantage of the extra water in the atmosphere, running toward the android as his manipulated elements mixed together in a silvery mass, removing visibility perhaps even for the android's sensors.

Predictably, he was able to get close enough to shove a fist forward, colliding with the robot's chest. The water and wind moved instinctively, like the power of a storm following his fist, and forced the android off its feet, crashing hard through the first wall from the direct pressurized attack billowing around the Atlantean and the enemy.

"Whoa!" Wally shouted as things managed to die down.

"Nice shot!" Robin declared, but the professor laughed.

"It _was_ impressive. It looks like Red Tornado and Aquaman had a nice common law child together. But it won't make a difference in the end. You're all just such poor copies of the originals."

"So everyone keeps saying," the clone stated, teeth clenched. "And it makes me angry!" Everyone turned to stare at him, and Superboy seemed to have the right idea. "You want to see me channel that anger!" Suddenly jumping off of the bleachers, he leaped high into the air and would have landed directly on top of him.

Ivo managed to move out of the way, and the monkeys attempted to intercept. "Amazo! Protect your master! Priority alpha!"

The android pushed himself out of the debris of the ruined wall, a direct blast of heat vision shoving Superboy backward, and Naruto got a good look at it for a moment. His attack had actually done quite a bit of damage to the chest cavity, exposing important wires and even perhaps the power source, glowing brightly where the heart was supposed to be.

"Everyone, attack his chest!" he shouted, gathering another long range blade with as much force as he could muster.

Robin was the first to comply, throwing several explosive projectiles, but the heat vision perfectly intercepted them. Superboy distracted the creature, jumping in the path of Professor Ivo, and Kid Flash had the perfect opening as it tried to protect its master, aiming a Captain Atom blast.

The arrow that had saved his life was suddenly struck into the creature's heart cavity, right into the glowing power source. Kid Flash sped away, Superboy covered the mad genius with his body, and Robin and Riptide shot into the hallway.

The explosion was gigantic, smoke and fire and a bright white light filling the gymnasium. Riptide pushed air outward from his body, covering himself and Robin in the nick of time. Debris pummeled the makeshift shield, and he focused harder, expelling as much power and rotation as he could until it was almost like he had the force of a spinning drill around him.

After nearly forty five seconds of strenuous magic, the commotion seemed to die down. "Can you let that go?" Robin asked, staring at the swirling silver around them.

"Probably not," he admitted, knowing there was still a lot of weight on top of them, and they risked getting crushed by debris. "I can push us out, I think, but-"

" _Guys, are you okay? Where are you?"_  M'gann's voice was like a beacon of hope both aloud and in their heads.

"Aqualad! Miss Martian! Boy, am I glad to see you too!" Kid Flash shouted from above them; he must have escaped the blast zone.

" _Robin and I are okay,"_  Naruto answered,  _"But not for much longer. We're kind of stuck underneath a pile of rubble."_

Within a few seconds of maneuvering, M'gann telekinetically shoved the debris away from the dome of spinning air that Naruto had held for way too long, and he nearly swayed from exhaustion as he dispelled it. "You all right?" M'gann asked as she hugged both of them to her chest. Kaldur helped pull them out of the small hole that his spell had created.

Riptide nodded. "Yeah, sure, just a little tired. I'll be back to normal in a couple minutes, and after a good meal. I bounce back fast."

" _I'm all right too,"_ Superboy stated.  _"But I think Ivo is in a coma. His heartbeat is really slow. He needs medical attention."_

* * *

 **METROPOLIS**  
AUGUST 4, 10:00 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

After the entire situation had been resolved, with near microscopic fragmented remnants of Amazo being studied at STAR Labs, and Ivo in the ICU at Gotham General, Superboy had to admit that he was glad that it had happened. He'd learned a valuable lesson, something that he hoped would help in future conflicts. Not everything required brute strength, and not everything could be handled by him alone.

He understood why the mission had to pan out the way that it did. The Team was the covert arm of the Justice League, and as such, the League could not have been trusted anyone else to discreetly deliver the parts to their locations. When he realized that he was just being "hard-headed", he fully understood how amazing it was to feel trusted by them. And they were impressed, even if some of them didn't admit it themselves.

He was on a Team, and not all conflicts could just disappear if he threw himself at them. He needed to use his brain, and to work together with the others, in order to solve these issues. Canary would be working on him with that, while Captain Atom worked with all of them on how to not cause explosions during missions. Nothing was covert if they kept drawing a media frenzy. The most prestigious school in Gotham City, attended by Bruce Wayne's heir, losing half of the gymnasium and nearly an entire wing of their building was a topic that probably wouldn't die down for months.

When Superboy found the man, he smiled solemnly and walked up to him, still wearing his signature shirt. The bearded, legless man lay on his wheeled plank, picking at what looked to be what was left of a fresh banana peel.

"Hey," he muttered awkwardly. The man looked up him, suddenly excited, so much so that the banana peel fell to the ground.

"It's you! I can't believe it! I've always wanted you meet you!" he practically gushed, and Superboy didn't really want to burst his bubble. "I couldn't believe what I saw the other day! Superman, in the flesh! And out of uniform! The cameras make you look so much older!"

He smiled, kneeling down to meet him at eye level. "What's your name?"

"Everyone calls me Legs, sir," he stated with a smile, but Superboy did not like the sound of that at all. Calling himself by what he doesn't have?

"Your real name," he added, earning a wide-eyed expression from the man.

"Oh, it's Norm Grant, sir," he said after a time.

"Well, Norm," he said, reaching into his wallet and pulling out five hundred dollars in cash. The man stared wide-eyed as he took the money. "Today's your lucky day. I know people who can pull some strings to get you a steady job and a paycheck, and help you get back on your feet." He pointed to the Wayne Enterprises building behind him. "How would it feel to work there?"

"Oh, I don't know," the man stated, frowning. He looked like he was almost embarrassed to be there. "I mean, I don't have any skills to work there. My… situation tends to get in my way."

Superboy shook his head. "Trust me, you have no idea how many times that Batman has saved Bruce Wayne's life. He told me that Bruce owes him a favor, and that Wayne Enterprises could definitely fit you in somewhere. What are you good at?"

He gestured to the wheeled tray he was sitting on top of. "Well, I like to work on cars. That's what I did after I got back from the war, but it didn't work out for very long."

Superboy nodded. "I understand. I promise that all I have to do is make a phone call, and they can find a place for you. It's the least I can do."

After a moment, the man reached out and hugged him, and Superboy could only return it.

_This is what it must feel like to be Superman._


	14. Infiltrator

**POSEIDONIS?  
Umm….?  
TEAM YEAR ZERO...** _**I think?** _

The blast of glowing water slammed into his chest, throwing him to the ground and outside of the ring. Landing in a cloud of dust, he shot forward, disturbing a school of flame angelfish who were intensely interested in the pretty light show. He frowned at the redhead with frustration.

"Oh, come on, Tula, you totally cheated in that match!"

"Naruto, you're just jealous because I beat you again."

"Again!? Yeah right, I can't remember the last time you beat me! And I had a handicap from using water magic!"

"Yesterday."

"I don't remember it."

"Probably because I hit you so hard you forgot."

The blonde boy swam through the ocean behind the other ginger, heading toward the Conservatory's entrance, where Kaldur and Garth were waiting on them to finish. Despite their arguments, he nodded once to Tula and grinned, reminding her that it was all in good fun. Mera stood waiting alongside his other friends, her crown missing. He ignored it, glad she was in her full headmistress duty so she had plenty of free time for him.

"That was excellent, Naruto. You're coming along very nicely. But you need to get dressed! You have a huge day ahead of you."

 _Huge day?_   _"_ Yeah, I'm glad you see how awesome I am, Mera!" He hugged her tightly and just grinned when she hugged back comfortingly.

"Yep, I think you're the best, but don't let it go to your head," she admonished, leaving him nodding furiously like a little kid. "You'll have plenty of nobles wanting to get in your good graces soon, and they are going to flatter you constantly." He stared at her curiously, not sure he followed what that was supposed to mean. Even so, he knew it was Mera so he just accepted it and moved on; she wouldn't lie to him.

They passed through the building, heading toward the common area. It seemed like all the people he had ever known since he was a child were gathered in that domed room, lit by golden light. Orin and Orm were clasping their wrists together in a symbol of greeting, as though one or the other had just arrived, but neither were wearing the royal garb he was used to seeing. The bearded chief scientist was furiously discussing his latest experiments with Savenna and D'istar, who looked at him fondly. Ronal and all of his other classmates were mingling, and even Ronal looked like he was happy to see Naruto for a change, although expressed in his usual haughty way. The council members he recognized had obviously forced smiles, but he returned the gesture and forced some of them to scowl.

"It's great to see you guys too!" His naive nature was the perfect way to hide the

"Naruto!" someone shouted to his right, and he turned to see Topo, the octopus-like classmate who are hadn't seen in years.

"It's been so long! For a lot of you!" he said to them, instantly becoming the center of attention. All their eyes on him... He relished in the feeling, surrounded by his family and friends, giving him the attention he had lacked for what felt like so long, and in a lot of ways, he never wanted to let this moment die.

Topo stared at him. "What do you mean, Naruto? I saw you yesterday!"

He frowned; had Tula actually hit him hard enough to make him forget? Kaldur gripped his shoulder. "You are being silly, my friend. Let's go enjoy the festivities."

"What are we celebrating?" The crowd seemed to part for him and revealed a huge table of food, the gleaming glyphs and runes holding the plates of delicious meals down. Boiled wakame seemed to adorn nearly every plate, which struck him as odd because not everyone he knew was a vegetarian.

Garth's brow furrowed. "Tula, did you  _actually_  give him a case of amnesia?"

The girl looked appalled. "I don't think so."

Before he could question it further, Orin walked toward him and stood before him, wearing his usual orange and green scaled Aquaman suit. He must be off-duty, however, in both Atlantis and the League, because he normally didn't have time for Naruto. The boy's face was beginning to hurt from smiling; it was almost too good to be true.

"It's good that you've finally arrived. It's finally time for your coronation."

Naruto froze.  _Something is wrong… what's going on here?_

Mera wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Come on now, let's get some food into you; you look a bit pale. They can wait to begin this until you feel better."

Something shifted in the room, and for only a split-second, Naruto was fully aware that the Conservatory of Sorcery had changed into the palace on the hill, like someone had transplanted his surroundings from one place to another. He managed to form a blade of wind, six inches across and hovering just over the back of his palm. But the blade faded away just as quickly as his awareness that anything was wrong did, a cloud of numbness settling over him.

* * *

 **CENTRAL CITY**  
ASS-KICKING TIME  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Everything around him was slow, his perception of events at hyper-speed; it was an advantage of his supercharged myelin fiber sheaths, protecting his incredibly-enhanced neuronal action-potentials. His turf was in especially acute detail, brain able to see and perceive far more than he had ever dreamed. He could see into shops as he ran, pick out faces and even smells; plenty of pretty women walked in and out of American Falcon, buying tons of perfume. He considered trying on different cologne and giving his best shot, but they were too busy for that.

Next to him, seemingly running alongside him, was Barry, moving so fast that he looked like a white blur. Still wearing his lab coat from CCPD forensics, Wally knew they were responding to an alert, but for some reason Barry had not put on the suit.

"Suit up, big guy!" He shouted beside him, but Barry glanced at him quizzically as they turned the corner.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" The blonde speedster pointed to him, and Wally widened when he realized he was wearing the suit of his mentor.

"Uh... A bad one, I guess." They turned to run horizontally across the wall, ignoring gravity as they ran up the side of the skyscraper, so fast that their momentum could not be stopped. Wally prepared to have to skid to a stop on the rooftop like he normally would, but the second the thought left his head, he stopped in place as easily as Barry did, without leaving a smoking trail across the concrete roof.

Elated, Wally stated at his mentor, before glancing down to admire the way the red suit looked on his body. It felt amazing, although some small part of him knew it wasn't right. Why was he wearing this and not Barry? "Alright, what's the plan?"

The two speedsters zipped over to the edge of the building, looking down below. Barry gestured to the outdoor gala,where several of Central City's well-to-dos were gathered to commemorate something. Wally hesitated when he couldn't remember what it was, but Barry must have recognized it. "It's the start of a new initiative to give our speed to any and all who choose. The bigwigs are going to make a fortune."

Wally was surprised, to say the least. "So you gave them access to your formula? Isn't that dangerous?"

"No,  _you_  did. You've been raving about this idea for years, to change the world by giving humans all the advantages that you received." Barry shook his head, smirking lightly. "You've championed the first transhumanist movement in decades. Why do you not look excited?"

Wally raised an eyebrow.  _This is wrong..._  "I did? Hmmm... I guess science won out, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah," Barry said with a laugh. "But we shouldn't be talking like this. You've gotta go down there and stop the Rogues from stealing all your research."

Wally whirled around to see the yellow and blue clad Mirror Master, the Australian Captain Boomerang, and the ice villain Captain Cold preparing to attack the gala event.  _Didn't we put Captain Cold down...?_

He spotted Ira West, the old police captain and Barry's father-in-law, standing among the civilians and making his rounds. Apparently, he had taken the formula himself already, because he was calmly vibrating in place, seemingly excited and staring in disbelief. Unfortunately, the police wouldn't be good enough to stop any of the three villains- they didn't have the experience he had. West was the first test subject, Wally realized like the information just came out of nowhere. Was he remembering it?

_Yeah, that has to be it._

Wally smiled. "All right, old man, let's go."

Barry shook his head. "Nope, this is all you. I'll be here for backup if you need me. Get down there! You don't need a retired hero to hold you down!"

Wally's eyes widened. But when a golden boomerang threatened to pierce chest of the keynote speaker, a man from Kord Industries by the looks of the logo on the podium, Wally moved faster than he had ever moved before.

His vision seemed to funnel as he focused on the spinning projectile, and he snatched it of the air, examining all of his dimensions in mere fractions of a second.  _Naturally, it's explosive. Probably filled with C-4, and a remote-controlled or perhaps impact detonator. No, there's a timer. Great._

"Even your bomb-merang will come right back at you, Cap!" He said as he stopped on a dime at the edge of the stage, hurling the projectile with a windmill swing that blurred even for his enhanced perception of motion.

The Australian groaned and jumped out of the way, as the weapon stuck in the floor and exploded, sending chunks of material everywhere. He frowned when he realized it, taking off as his vision focused once more, allowing him to see the incoming shrapnel threatening the people on the front row. Moving in speeds that he could never have reached before was absolutely exhilarating, and before anyone in the room could blink, Wally had moved the first three rows of bystanders out of the way and had pushed a table in front of the shrapnel.

He stared down at his hands, enjoying the feel of the motion beneath his skin, the itch that only movement could scratch.

* * *

 **HAPPY HARBOR**  
SOME TIME AFTER EIGHT, UNKNOWN DATE  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The restaurant was dimly lit by candles, the temperature just right against his skin, and everything about this felt great. There were other people enjoying meals all around him, but despite his odd appearance, they ignored him completely. It felt nice to not be the center of attention on the surface world. Maybe the dark suit he was wearing covered his gills, but even so, it was nice.

His phone rang, vibrating against the glass covering the table cloth. He smirked at the name and answered. "Hello?"

"Kaldur! You're not going to believe what just happened, and Ollie couldn't believe it either!" The archer barely paused for a moment, clearly happy from the tone. "I have an aunt who is still alive!"

A voice cut through Roy's excited rambling, and Kaldur's eyes met the cool blues of the girl of his dreams. Tula was absolutely gorgeous, her sleeveless dress a sunset yellow, ending just above the knee, her pearl and coral jewelry a perfect example of their shared heritage.

"She just got there, didn't she?"

As he stumbled to answer, momentarily losing his usual composure, Roy just laughed. "No big deal. Call me back later. You've got more important things on your mind. I'm assuming that if you don't call back later tonight, the date went  _really_  well."

Kaldur blushed at the implications. "Goodbye, Roy. We'll talk about your aunt as soon as possible." He finally ended the call, standing to gesture her into her seat. She looked radiant, as beautiful as the near surface ocean on a clear summer's day, and he wanted nothing more than to let that moment continue forever.

"Hi."

"Hello," he added as he stood up to allow her to sit down, reaching into his pocket. He raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was doing it for a split second, before he touched the white pearl and reminded himself. The second she saw the singular pearl, etched with blue and yellow icons, her eyes widened as she gasped.

"Kaldur, it's beautiful! I don't know what to say!"

"I felt it was necessary to follow tradition for our first date," he said, sitting down as she took it from his hand.

"I'll cherish it forever."

* * *

 **MA'ALECA'ANDRA**  
10:35 UTC (IF MY UNDERSTANDING OF EARTH TIME IS RIGHT)  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The cave stretched before her as far as the eyes could see, and a squad of red-skinned expanders flew overhead and disappeared into the blackness of the the cavern. Their thoughts still flitted by in her mind, detailing their plans to add more area to the city she had only ever known as home.

She stood near the entrance to her hovel, able to see every single home of the entire city if she concentrated hard enough. She could feel the connections to every mind she saw, and they could feel it as well, and none of it was too overwhelming. Just something she had always known.

Something about that was certainly off, however. What it was, she didn't know. As she stared down at the group of very small children, manipulating their malleable toys into many different shapes and sizes, she wondered if they were all eager to share their entire lives to everyone around them.

She realized what was so wrong, and it was something that Megan had always found easy, even if the truth was usually uncovered. M'gann missed the concept of privacy.

Correcting her thoughts, she leaped from the ledge and flew toward the capitol of the city, located far above her. She didn't know if Cay'an was there, so she focused on the mind of a green-skinned expander, seeing through his eyes to spot where the woman was. As soon as she had proxy eye-contact with the teacher, M'gann felt focused in on her thoughts and sent a message. For a small moment, she was curious as to why she was sending the message at all, but the words eventually came to her.

" _I'm running late, but I'll be there soon enough."_

" _Get your head out of the clouds, M'gann, you have a job to do."_

The woman's response was enough to make her hurry much more, but the words still felt confused.  _Why do I have a job with Cay'an?_

She floated down to the floor of the Great Balcony, touching down on the smooth stone. M'gann smiled upon seeing the ceremonially-dressed teacher, who seemed to be in a hurry.  _"You're late, M'gann. Your class is waiting for you. I nearly called the Science Police to collect you."_

The woman's words completely confused M'gann, which shouldn't have been possible. Usually, meanings and context come through thought-speak entirely understood, but nothing made any sense.

_Something is wrong._

" _No, nothing's wrong. You look a bit tired, that's all."_ Cay'an caressed her arm with her mind, sending comforting images through their shared link. The smell of her favorite drink, drafted from the Eternal Spring, filled her with happiness.  _"But the little ones are ready for you."_

She followed her instincts, passing into the open chamber through a small portal, revealing a room filled with small children. When not one of the children looked at her wrong or filled her with accusatory thoughts, she knew something else had happened.

Her claw-like hand, very much unlike Megan, was colored green. The realization that she was not currently faking her skin color dawned on her, and the idea of it was staggering.

She sent pleasant thoughts to each of the children, hoping her instinct would guide her through the lesson. Not a single one of them looked at her like she was less than they were. For all intents and purposes, M'gann was a green Martian, and she reveled in the feeling of their respect.

* * *

 **GOTHAM CITY**  
VISITING HOURS, MAYBE?  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The wall of glass wasn't impressive. If she focused hard enough, she could probably find tons of insecurities in the thick but transparent window.  _Yep, there's a nick on the bottom left corner. Probably enough to hold, but I bet if he hit that spot in just the right wa-_

"Artemis."

The rough voice cut through her thoughts, but she showed no reaction. Just like he had always trained her to do. Forcing her shoulders to stay relaxed had required more than enough mental fortitude, and she felt more confident than she ever had before. It was like child's play to her, ingrained in her  _since_ her childhood.

Her confidence was most likely because her tormentor, the man who had shaped her into the person she was, was sitting behind bulletproof glass in a high-security prison, with no way to escape.

"Can't say that I'm shocked, you know?" the man began to say. "Considering that you're dressed like your mother, you were bound to come to gloat. She was always the morally superior one, the one who chose to do awful things to people for the 'right' reasons."

Puzzled, Artemis looked down and realized why something did not feel right.  _Where was her...?_

No. This was  _her_  costume. She was Huntress now, to honor her mother, the only person to ever actually care for her and her sister. It all seemed to fit in her mind, filling in the blanks, as she surveyed her eyes over the brown and red costume. She touched her uncovered face, her reflection in the glass revealing that she had copied her mother's eye make-up, giving her a feline look.

"Cut the crap, Lawrence."

The blonde, defeated man in prison orange raised an eyebrow. "Not going to address me as your father, huh?"

She wasn't sure where the words were coming from. "You lost that right when Mom died at your hand." They sounded  _wrong,_ like there was no way it was true. But something deep in her gut told her that it was the case, and her voice shook with conviction and guilt.

"Ooh,  _someone's_  finally gotten a backbone. Is that because I'm the one standing behind the glass, little girl?" The man's venomous tone made her want to puke. "Or is that because you have finally become the person that you were always meant to be? A killer?"

Something about the question rattled in her head, but the man formerly known as Sportsmaster continued. "After all, I taught you how. I showed you how, right before your eyes." He grinned. "Tell me. How did it look when the life finally faded from Jade's eyes? When her breathing stopped with your hand at her throat?" At her horror, the man stood from his spot and crossed his arms. "And how  _did_  you spend the money? A mansion? A car? A nice headstone for the sister you murdered?"

* * *

 **POSEIDONIS**  
DON'T KNOW NOW  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

_"I can't believe that you are falling for this."_

The voice rattled him as the great golden crown finally rested on his head, and Naruto seemed to finally stop and took a long look around him. All the people assembled, watching his coronation. His eyes focused on D'istar and Vulko, and he finally remembered. They were dead.

"Poseidonis, Atlantis, look very closely and bow before your new king!" The voice of Orin cut through his thoughts, and Naruto instinctively smiled at the praise before someone sighed heavily in his ear. He glanced to his back, but no one was there.

The parade of people coming up to congratulate him began, and the blonde soaked it all in, loving every instant of this huge procession. Prince Orm attempted to keep things at an orderly fashion, expressing his support by keeping the congratulations to one person at a time.

It seemed like nearly an hour passed before everyone had finished, and he finally realized he had something he needed to do, watching his friends from the corner of his eye. "Alright, listen up."

Within a few seconds, the crowd in the palace had become utterly silent, waiting for their king to speak. "I don't really know what to expect, but I do know that I am grateful for everything that all of you have done for me to reach this point. I, um, really like that you seem to want me around, and in charge. I don't really know what I did to deserve that.

"But I know I have a few last minute promotions to make." Thinking of how to phrase it, how Mera and Orin would phrase it, he finally cleared his throat. "Kaldur'ahm of Shayeris, please step forward."

_"Stop. Stop letting his power correct your perception! Don't rationalize the discrepancies you see!"_

His best friend stood before him, kneeling. "I would like to make you a general, to defend this city and kingdom with an army at your back. You have a knack for leadership, and a strategic mind."

The boy was wide-eyed. "Nar- no, my king, are you sure?"

"If anyone can handle it, you can."

 _"Seriously, Naruto, pay attention. Look beyond the surface, and think about what is happening to you!_ "

He wasn't supposed to be here. He remembered an Internet cafe, something called the Fog, a girl in a white mask... He wasn't supposed to be in Atlantis. He wasn't ever going to be King, and he didn't even want the crown! These people aren't really here...  _It's an illusion! A dream!_

Something is  _wrong!_

And just like that, everything shattered, the illusion breaking like glass until the only thing around him was purple smoke stretching as far as he could see. A tendril of smoke that looked more solid than the rest was wrapped around his arm, and he sensed something was wrong the second it started to move, crawling toward his face.

Attempting, and failing, to harness his magic in whatever space this was, he had to break out of it with force, eventually slapping the smoke away.

An image seemed to appear in front of his eyes, and he struggled away from it until the face of the god Hermes finally appeared, shining in some kind of golden hologram. "What's going on?"

Hermes frowned, and his face almost looked like it was shaking, struggling to stay in one position. "You're trapped under the spell of Morpheus, the god of dreams. He was taking advantage of your hopes, your wants, your deepest desires and fears. And you'd still be stuck in there, maybe forever, had I not intervened."

Naruto had no real choice but to believe that Hermes was telling the truth. "Thank you." But something else struck him about that statement. "Wait, that doesn't make sense. I don't want to be king."

Hermes frowned. "There isn't enough time to ask questions. Morpheus took advantage of the Martian's telepathy and trapped the others here as well, and I can't break them out. My influence here is very limited, but I can help you travel through this space and get to where they are. If you don't succeed, then you will not be able to leave his grasp."

Naruto considered his words and the mission at large. Serling Roquette was waiting on them. "No pressure then."

"I suppose not," the man stated. "Walk through this image of me, and then think about each of them in turn, and you'll travel into their dreams. It's up to you."

Naruto stared into the god's eyes for a moment before nodding once and then stepping forward. A single step required more effort than ever before, the amethyst-colored fog reaching up and taking hold of his foot. He fought through the power of one god in order to join the power of another, and the instant that his foot finally made contact, the gold light siphoned into him, surrounding him in a thin almost luminous layer of yellow.

Morpheus was no longer able to touch him, no longer able to reach him. He ignored the smoke and focused hard on understanding where he needed to go.

"Robin and Superboy," he said first, thinking hard. "They weren't with us. So they weren't linked to M'gann." He paused, realizing very quickly what was going on. "The League of Shadows are going to kill Roquette!"

Considering that there were only four other dream-scapes to visit, which was better than six, he nodded once. "So I'll go with Kaldur first."

His surroundings bled with a myriad of colors, and the impossible sense of having gone somewhere filled Naruto's mind, even though he hadn't moved at all.

He was suddenly standing within some kind of building… a restaurant by the looks of it, but no one was there. The background was nondescript, and Naruto could plainly see the flaws… Was it this unconvincing within his own dream space? How could he miss that the edges were blurred, like a mirage made of mist?

In the center of the illusion was Kaldur, enjoying a nice meal with a fake version of Tula. The girl was clearly the most detailed; in fact, she looked so detailed that she didn't even look real. It was as though she had become an ideal, and everything seemingly clicked in his mind.

"How have I not seen that before?" he muttered, realizing Kaldur's obvious love for the redheaded Atlantean.

When he approached, his friend was rambling, words going nowhere and everywhere at once. Kaldur had seemingly lost all composure, somehow unable to form complete sentences as he talked on and on about the Team and how beautiful Tula was and his relationship with his mentor. It was so unlike the older boy that it seemed completely… wrong.  _Is this a product of the illusions? Or is Kaldur really this bad at talking to women?_

Sliding into the booth across from Kaldur, sitting next to the redhead, he grinned once. "All right, as fun as all this is, you need to wake up and smell the coffee, Kaldur. We're on a mission, and you're sleeping right now, stuck inside a dream!"

Tula and Kaldur both frowned. "What are you doing here, Naruto? I don't appreciate our date being interrupted!" the girl practically shouted. "Leave us in peace so we can enjoy ourselves. Don't you think so, Kaldur?"

The other Atlantean seemed confused, befuddled. Naruto didn't let the false Tula lead him to any particular conclusion, knowing that she was just Morpheus speaking through an image of her, but Kaldur wasn't so easily swayed. "What are you doing here, Naruto? I thought you'd be back at the Cave." He paused to consider his words, brow furrowing. "No. You were with Roy only a few minutes ago, back in Star City, visiting."

Naruto groaned, wishing that Hermes could zap him into understanding his words. "None of this is real; your mind is just trying to rationalize what you're seeing. It's a dream, an illusion created by an angry Greek god."

Tula's eyes widened at the notion of that. "What? Do you not hear how ridiculous that sounds?" She looked at him, tattoos suddenly blazing to life. "I bet you're the illusion! There's some kind of telepathic enemy around here, a sorcerer perhaps, messing with your mind. We have to fight it off!"

Kaldur was spurred by her words, and Naruto leaped away from the bench and directly through a waiter, the illusion parting like a cloud of smoke. He gestured to it, staring at the imposing figure of Kaldur pulling his water-bearers out of his suit pocket. "Come on, didn't you see that? The waiter burst into smoke! Look!" He kicked at the table nearest him, watching as his leg passed through it only to reform the moment he fell away. "Look around, Kaldur! If you don't snap out of it, our mission will fail and people will die!"

Tula attacked him, sharp bolts of water suddenly hurled in his direction, and Naruto jumped from side to side, dodging them. He wasn't sure whether it would even be useful to try to dodge them, especially considering she wasn't real, but Morpheus  _was_ and he couldn't afford to allow that to happen.

"It's a trick. A trap to lure you in! Fight, Kaldur!"

The second the dual swords slashed in Naruto's direction, he shoved a blast of wind outward, happy to see that it worked after all. The defensive burst was enough to shove the Atlantean away, his swords bursting apart for a split second before reforming, and he frowned.

"Seriously, Aqualad! You have a duty!" Naruto shouted, tattoos blazing even as he saw the golden light of Hermes lightly flickering, almost like a second, thin layer skin. "Think of the team that you lead! We need you, and you need us! Remember the mission! The League of Shadows trying to kill Serling Roquette, a scientist trying to shut down the Fog she created! Focus on that!"

Kaldur and Tula both ran toward him, but when Tula's wave of water summoned from the fake glasses of water around the restaurant collided with Naruto's abdomen, only to have no effect, the other Atlantean halted.

"That's it! Don't let him fool you again! You are better than him! Stronger than him! Wake up!"

Daring to challenge a god, especially within his domain, was bound to have repercussions. The audacity of the move seemed to even register to Kaldur, breaking through the layers of influence. Tula, in her pretty sun-colored dress, vanished first as the illusion broke apart into a cloud of purple mist.

"Where are we?" was the first thing Kaldur thought to ask, and Naruto merely sighed.

"Morpheus put us to sleep and gave us vivid dreams that fulfill our desires, while twisting them into something negative," Naruto explained. "We need to get the others. Wally and M'gann need our help."

Kaldur frowned. "And Artemis."

The name came back to him, and he kicked himself mentally for forgetting about the blonde archer he had met only hours ago. "And Artemis. I know how to get to the others, but you need to help me convince them. The sooner we do this, the easier it is going to be to get back and stop the assassination."

* * *

 **PHILADELPHIA**  
AUGUST 8, 22:03 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The Bio-Ship was flying dark, unable to get anymore information from the others. Robin cursed the lack of information, the lack of communication; they had only barely gotten the message of where the Fog was before the communicators had gone cold.

"Damn," he cursed once more, slamming his hands against his knee, as he looked toward the Kryptonian clone.

"What do we do?" Superboy asked. "The Shadows are going to activate the Fog if we don't keep moving."

"The virus needs to be finished, or we have no way to stop it if they unleash it," Robin explained, tightening his grip on the controls. "And no one will answer us, so we have no idea what's going on."

An uneasy silence fell across them for the moment, as they continued toward the coordinates. It was Superboy who broke the silence.

"You don't think something's happened, do you?" The clone sounded broken, like he didn't know how to properly feel about it. Robin realized that this could be the first experience of death in his very short life, and Superboy didn't know how to process it. Unfortunately, the younger hero knew all about.

"We have to assume the worst," he explained, reaching into a pocket of his utility belt for something to do so he didn't have to see Superboy's reaction. The disc lightly glowed, but it was his only one and there was no way they could use it effectively. The Fog covered too wide an area when in use for his EMP emitter to work. "Fine. I know what we have to do. It's our only option."

* * *

 **CENTRAL CITY… KINDA**  
I WISH I COULD TELL  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

When Naruto arrived inside Wally's dream, the entire situation was absolutely haywire. He was standing inside some kind of outdoor ballroom, on the roof of Kord Industries. Apparently, there were three villains attacking, two of whom he didn't recognize. The guy with the freeze gun, Captain Cold, had been in the League's case files, recently imprisoned on the day that the others invaded Cadmus. He hadn't gotten far enough into the database to see who the boomerang guy and the glowing guy were, but he supposed it didn't matter.

They weren't real anyway.

But to Wally, or maybe it was Barry, everything was just a blur, rushing across the room to dodge ice crystals and protect the civilians who had been too scared to move. Even from here, Naruto could see how blurred their features were, and it was just like what happened in Kaldur's dream.

He almost wished the other Atlantean was there, with him, but apparently, Hermes couldn't drag the others along. Naruto had no idea how he was going to explain this, if he was going to, but Kaldur was stuck in the nondescript fog, fighting it off and attempting to keep his wits about him, knowing about Morpheus's tricks now.

"Come on, Shiny-Guy, can't you do better than that?!" Wally's voice was loud and clear, despite his location being impossible to pin down at any one instant.

The villain apparently named Shiny-Guy scowled beneath his glowing goggles. "We'll get that formula to use for our own benefit! You've made a fatal mistake, Flash."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. _Are they usually that over the top…?_ He fought the urge to nod when the thought finally came to him.  _Right, it's definitely Wally's dream._

Kid Fl- err, the Flash was nothing but a red streak, slicing through the holographic clones like they were nothing, and Captain Cold was unable to actually land a hit. He was completely far off with every shot, turning the surroundings into icy glass. The cloning villain fired a yellow beam of light at his reflection, instantly creating thirty more clones that were ready to keep moving.

Every time the streak hurried across the room, presumably looking in a different direction, Morpheus' power waned, the illusion unfurling at the seams. But when Wally turned back around, it solidified, and Naruto raised an eyebrow.  _It's connected to sight lines, so it must be related to vision, but only the one under the influence._

"Flash!" Naruto finally yelled, but the other hero did not even stop moving, ignoring his shout. "Kid Flash!"

The redhead stopped quickly, turning to him. "You must be mistaken. Clearly I've upgraded to the red, my adoring fa-" He stopped, staring. "Oh, it's you, Riptide. I don't need any help. These three are chumps." As though to prove his point, Wally vanished and reappeared more quickly than it took for the boomerang guy to slam into Captain Cold, throwing both of them to the ground beneath the stage.

"Actually, you need my help more than you know," he explained, to which Wally began to complain, but Naruto shook his head. "You're dreaming right now. A Greek god is messing with your mind, making you forget about our mission so that the League of Shadows can kill their target."

Wally didn't say anything for a long moment, before he finally just began to laugh. "Oh man, you're crazy. I'm an atheist, dude, and you sound ridiculous."

Before Naruto could say anything, the speedster suddenly slammed him into the ground hard, in time to avoid the blade-like boomerang that nearly cut him in two. Mere moments later, Captain Cold shouted something menacing before firing his gun where the two lay, and Wally practically rolled both of them out of the way.

"You're talking crazy!" He pulled Naruto to his feet. "Come on, let me get these guys finally taken out, and I'll go with you for some coffee or something. Maybe I can recommend you to Arkham too, while I'm at it."

The Atlantean had to fight down his anger, but it very nearly failed. "Wally. You're Kid Flash. The Flash's sidekick, and a member of the Justice League's black ops unit. You were the one who suggested we call it the Team." He didn't seem swayed by the words at all.

"Uh, duh, I know that." Naruto was aware of the illusion, watching the dream's influence bend Wally's mind. "Or I did. I mean, I've graduated to the Justice League now, and I'm the Flash! Can't you see the suit?" Pulling a hand into his pocket, he reproduced the membership card, a perfect replica that seemed to have morphed to fit Wally's profile.

Naruto made a mental note to ask Kaldur for an Atlantean scroll on illusions, specifically spells to break them, after they survived this. A momentary pang that he couldn't swim into Conservatory's library to look for it himself invaded his mind, but he shrugged it off and wished that Wally would learn to shrug off the dream.

"This is impossible," Naruto said, forcing himself out of the way of Captain Cold's gun, as the man shouted in his frustration. Wally seemed to ignore him, and in the next second, the bright blue parka wrapped around the top half of his face, tied together in a very knot, with the villain's odd glasses sitting where his eyes would be.

"Seriously, what's gotten into you?"

Obviously, his strategy wasn't working.  _What do I know about Wally? Scientist first and foremost, a loudmouth, extreme metabolism flaw, thinks he's funny and probably is at least_ some _of the time, treats women like objects… Has his head very far up his ass._

"That's it!" Naruto realized, grinning at his ingenuity. Silently thanking Hermes for the inspiration, he looked to the speedster. "Are you really so stupid that you can't realize this is a trick? Connect the dots, dumbass. Morpheus has you wrapped around his finger, showing you what you want to happen, what you expect to happen in the future. But does it really make sense? Do you remember exactly what happened to give you your suit?"

Wally was clearly insulted, which was the plan. "Hey, I'm not stupid!" A pause, the illusion shifting once more as Wally's eyes stupefied with purple fog for a split-second. "I've got two Phds from Stanford University in physics and chemistry. I'm not an idiot."

"But you didn't know that a second ago! The dream had to adjust, had to change, so that you would believe it!" He paused to figure out a way to explain it.

As one captain used his signature tool to cut the parka away from his partner's face, the last of the villains ran forward and grabbed the nearest civilian, instantly creating several dozen clones all around the room. Pulling a pistol, just an average, everyday pistol from his belt, revealed the implications of the trap. "Can you, Flash, save this woman from being killed fast enough? Figure out who the real me is before I pull the trigger?"

"It's not real, Wally," Naruto said, shocking the speedster into not moving, exasperated by what he was suggesting.

"I'm not going to let someone die."

"If you don't pull yourself away from Morpheus' influence, someone is going to actually die, if she isn't already. Serling Roquette might already be on the other end of a sai dagger, and you might be the reason why it happened if you don't wake up."

That didn't work, but after only a momentary pause, the clones suddenly began to disappear, one by one, until the sound of the gun going off rattled even Naruto.

But Wally held the woman in his arms, only a moment later, and Wally grinned. "I couldn't let her die."

"Then don't let the rest of us die. Don't let Roquette die. Don't let M'gann die."

His eyes glazed over once more, and Naruto immediately cried, "There! You're aware, for just a second. Don't think, just look around, before he can mess with you again!"

Wally grew wide-eyed, and Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang caught wind of his realization, and attempted to attack, acting as proxies for a god. When the blast of ice and explosive projectile neared the speedster, he smirked. "It's shocking that you three could actually be more threatening in a dream than in real life."

And just like that, the illusion fell apart, sharply dissipating into the purple fog of the god's influence.

* * *

 **PHILADELPHIA**  
AUGUST 8, 22:19 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The Bio-Ship finally tracked down the van containing the League of Shadows operative, but the clear path of where it was headed was definitely in sight. Robin had to grip the pilot's chair harder, to tell himself that all would be well.

Too many things were on the line to focus on his emotions, and one of those things was WayneTech and access to the Batcave and Watchtower servers. The people within the building were in danger as well. He nearly said it aloud as they soared near the office building. Pressing a button with a thumb, the Bio-Ship's secure channel to the satellite opened. "Robin to the League. Our mission has gone south. Superboy and I are the only ones still operational, and the others have gone dark. We have to assume that Roquette is dead and unable to complete the virus."

It took every bit of willpower to admit all of those things, and the clear gaze that the clone was giving him was enough to make him squirm. They waited for some kind of confirmation, until finally, a voice cut through the silence.

"Sending an operative to your position now." It was the voice of Superman that stunned them, and this time, it was Robin who watched the clone squirm in his chair. "Sending another to assess the condition of your teammates. Don't assume the worst yet."

Hearing the Man of Steel himself declare that hope was not lost was a powerful statement, and Robin felt a small swirl of newfound energy.

The two Team members glanced outside, as the van finally streaked to a stop. Within moments, the van's back door slid open, and a canister of the Fog was unleashed. It swept through the air, heading toward the huge building, and it didn't take much effort to figure out what to do.

_Bruce, I'm about to hack and override your own personal systems. Better to ask forgiveness later._

* * *

**A PLACE AS DARK AS THIS COULD ONLY BE GOTHAM**  
AUGUST 8, SOMETIME AT NIGHT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

When he finally realized where he was, at Blackgate Penitentiary, Naruto had no real idea why that made any sense. Maybe Artemis really loved the Gotham aesthetic over Star City? Morpheus was toying with their expectations, so why would she expect to be here, of all places? Everyone else had sort of been in their hometown.

When he passed through the ornate iron gate, there was a flicker of yellow light around his person as he did, and a bubble of purple seemed to burst apart beneath him. He would have to ask the messenger god later if his guess was correct, because he was pretty sure that Morpheus was defending his influence over Artemis through her dream. Hermes was allowing him to brush them off, ever so slightly, but Naruto had no idea how long it would last.

When he approached the guards near the front door, it appeared that Morpheus had lost all sense of composure. The Atlantean spun away from a bullet with a force of wind beneath his feet, darting behind cover. It seemed more and more guards were appearing all around him, and he couldn't wait very long until a bullet had gotten so close that his hair felt it zip past.

Bursts of wind propelled him forward and coalesced into walls of pressurized air behind him, solidifying into a shield covering his back, as he headed toward the front office. "It's not real," he told himself, as the light of Hermes flickered to life once more and allowed him passage through the door, helping him locate Artemis.

Shoving past the completely blurry receptionist, snapping his knee into the abdomen of a security guard, Naruto finally shoved past and into the innards of the prison. Focusing on the mental image of his new teammate, Naruto hoped it would help Hermes locate her; he hadn't had this problem with Kaldur or Wally, so clearly Morpheus was learning.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath when he heard the click of a readied pistol. Right before him, three guards turned around the corner, but Naruto was already ready. Focusing hard, he unleashed a pure wave of pressurized air, touching every surface of the hallway in front of him. Another wave followed the first, this one even stronger, and it pressed so hard against the walls that they cracked underneath it.

The guards flew from where they stood, hitting the connecting hallway so hard that they vanished into nothing but purple smoke. Naruto hurried down the nearly ruined hallway, as Morpheus attempted to bring the entire ceiling down on top of him. Forcing his way into the door the officers had been guarding, Naruto took a deep breath and then sucked in air, a combat knife so close to his neck that he worried his Adam's apple would draw blood.

His frantic eyes took in the expression of the blonde warrior in front of him, skin tight brown and red suit complimenting a hardened, lithe figure. An arm pressed him hard into the wall, elbow against the underside of his lowest right rib. Her eyes were complemented by black make-up, defining her cheekbone as feline. A crossbow was strung across her back, jutting from the right shoulder.

The tip of her knife bore into his neck, and Naruto could smell the blood as it cut the first layer of skin. Wincing, he raised up a hand as best he could, and the knife slid farther.

"Go ahead, little girl. Kill again for me," a familiar gruff male voice sounded from the room, but Naruto couldn't see him from this angle. The cell must have blocked him from sight.

Artemis nearly followed through with the command, and Naruto had no idea how to react, with that knife so close to his jugular. But when she backed away, without letting him go entirely, the Atlantean finally felt like he could breathe again.

"What the hell was that, Artemis?" He pushed his fingers against the small wound,

The girl didn't seem to have noticed who he was, but when her eyes widened with recognition, she looked visibly shaken.  _Is she afraid of me?_

"Listen, I know the teeth look scary, but I don't bite," he tried, inserting humor into the situation. It wasn't appreciated, based on her expression.

"Riptide, what are you  _doing_  here?"

"Saving you," he said. "Now why are you wearing that? First Wally, then you- I can't keep track of the costume changes. Oh, and Kaldur was wearing a suit, wasn't he?"

She frowned, ushering him out of the room, to the laughing man behind him. He hadn't noticed the make-up looked smudged, like tears had strained against them. "Wally? Kaldur? What do you mean?"

He sighed. "You know where your name comes from, right? Why a bow is your signature weapon?"

It took her a moment, but she looked confused; she started furiously wiping away at her face, as though just remembering that she must have been crying moments ago. "Yeah, I guess. My dad's got a Greek cousin, obsessed with mythology. What's your point?"

"Well, the Greek god of dreams, Morpheus, used M'gann's telepathy to put us to sleep, and each of us is facing our deepest dreams." He sighed when she looked at him incredulously; she's nearly as bad as KF. After explaining all of this twice before, it was getting a bit tiring. "Yeah, can we avoid the whole, 'they aren't real' thing? Where do you think Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel's powers come from? Divine Greek magic."

She didn't say anything for a moment, before finally nodding. "Okay, let's just go with it. Why'd he do that?"

"The Team was on a mission to protect a computer scientist named Serling Roquette; it's your first mission, remember? The League of Shadows is after her; some chick with a white cat-mask. I guess they got help from a god to secure their goal."

Saying it out loud made Naruto finally realize the implications of that very fact. The infamous group of assassins, some of the most skilled fighters in all of the world, had help from an immortal. He was unsettled and properly terrified, even if he knew that Hermes was backing him. And what about the others?

This  _had_  to do with what Hermes had said before, and about Wonder Woman's concerns with the Greek pantheon. The gods and monsters were moving, but for what? And was there another reason why he personally was involved? He wasn't the most intelligent guy in the world, but his curiosity and need to be awesome made up for his ignorance. But was there anything about him that really made him worthy of a god's attention? Kobra and the other dimension came to mind…

_Holy hell, this is complicated._

"So what you're saying is that this is my nightmare?" Artemis asked, looking toward the open door behind her over her shoulder. There was a hint of something on her voice that Naruto didn't know how to read, some mixture of emotions impossible to identify.

"Yeah," he said, wondering if it was really going to be this easy for her to accept. Wally and Kaldur had been much more difficult. "So do you believe me? I know you don't know me very well, and it's probably hard for you to accept."

She finally nodded after several moments of consideration. "Let's go. We don't have much time." And the dream around them began to fade.

The last thing he heard was the man's voice shouting, "This is your future, little girl! I made you-"

* * *

 **PHILADELPHIA**  
AUGUST 8, 22:22 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Superboy leaped from the cloaked Bio-Ship, aiming hard to land directly in front of the League of Shadows operative. The helmeted assassin was holding a canister of the Fog, tapping directives into a computer on his wrist. The cloud of technology flying toward the WayneTech building seemed to speed up in response, eating away at the concrete surface.

But the operative noticed his approach, and the instant before the clone landed, a red beam of light loosed from the odd headwear. Superboy tumbled through the air quickly, crashing through an old truck before he could even blink.

His skin was on fire, the heat from the laser enough to char the surface layer of his skin. The hole in his t-shirt was annoying, exposing the center of his chest. Even so, Superboy knew what was at stake, and he had to keep going.  _The others could be dead. Or worse. And that makes me angry!_

The feeling of pure rage bubbled up from the pit in his stomach, and it was enough to spurn him on. The wreck of the vehicle was folded around him, and the anger filled him once more.

Lifting the remains of the truck with an easy tug, he spun once, then twice, and twisted his hips. The moment he let go, the truck was sent flying toward the enemy, and Superboy had no remorse, not after what happened to M'gann and the others.

The assassin only had a moment to respond, and the cutting laser forced the wreck to split in two and explode, draping the entire van in the heat and smoke. A cry of pain left the League of Shadows operative, and with his enhanced vision, Superboy could see the superheated shrapnel that had pierced his chest.

* * *

 **MARS**  
DON'T REMEMBER THE DATE  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

If he thought Morpheus had adapted to his meddling in the illusions before, he was certainly doing so now. What looked like a giant, smooth cavern was suddenly collapsing in on itself, rocks and plant-like creatures attacking him. Something that looked like a building suddenly reached out, stretching indefinitely, to grab him.

Taking advantage of Martian gravity, he jumped out of the way and forced wind to carry him higher, a burst of silver wind making him leap faster. But Morpheus was getting more desperate, and it was like Naruto couldn't get away no matter how hard he tried.

Focusing on M'gann and the connection he could feel to Hermes, he located where he could feel her. Looking up, the girl was in what looked like a cave formation, suspended in mid-air, in the center of the huge cavern. He could feel her presence there, and he rolled his eyes.

"How am I going to get up there?"

He shouldn't have said anything, because the instant that he did, several illusory and multi-colored Martians were suddenly surrounding him. They did not look like he expected, because J'onn and M'gann were much more humanoid.  _This must be their true form, what they really look like._  Naruto frowned, not sure how he was going to handle this.  _Fighting against one M'gann is bad enough, but a crowd of them? Suicide._

He had to hope they were less powerful because they were illusions, and it seemed they didn't have access to telepathy because he probably would have already been on all-fours barking like a Martian puppy by now. They seemed to attack at once, using their telekinesis to force the surroundings to launch at him.

A spear of rock hurled in his direction, fast enough that he couldn't destroy it. A burst of wind around his body allowed him to leap away, and the projectile cracked against the burst of solid wind.

The ground suddenly tried to grab him, reaching up to entrap his feet, and he jumped up and lashed out with a huge wave of air, knocking two of the illusions away.

He was starting to realize that this was futile, as one of them flew toward him and lashed out with his shapeshifting, an almost skeletal arm grabbing onto him. He grabbed it instead, taking advantage of his strength and flipping the Martian over him. "Thank you, Black Canary."

A silver blast of wind exploded in the center of the remaining Martians, expanding to hurl all of them away. But they recovered quickly, and everything was really wrong.

"C'mon, Hermes, can't you get me any closer?"

He hated that the god couldn't speak to him, because his limited power in this dimension was all he had. But he focused hard on M'gann, and golden light swirled around him, concentrating in his ankles. He peeked downward, wincing in the pain as a golden tattoo of a wing was burned into his skin. It glowed bright gold, and Naruto's eyes widened when his body lifted off the ground.

"Hell yes!" he said excitedly, and the instant that he hurled another blast of wind at the Martians, his very unstable flight fell apart at the seams. The force of his own attack blew him completely off-course, and he smacked hard into the ground, pain wracking his entire left side. "Okay, that's harder than it looks."

He concentrated again, and he soared into the air, letting his instinct and the power of Hermes guide him high into the sky, heading toward the area where he could inexplicably sense M'gann.

The bright golden light burned stronger, and Naruto seemed to just suddenly be there, inside whatever room M'gann was in, and the power around him faded. A burning sensation lit around his ankles, and the wing tattoos were gone. "A shame, really."

He somehow knew it was a classroom of sorts and filled with the very non-humanoid Martians. The odd green-skinned creature stood in the center of the room, a class of children around her. He knew the one with the center of attention was M'gann, the true notion of what she actually looked like, and he frowned.

I suppose it makes sense that she and J'onn would try to look human to blend in. They certainly do not do that looking like their true forms. Even still, he wondered if M'gann was comfortable lying to everyone by hiding her true face. Sure, it was decidedly monstrous, comparatively speaking, but he still knew it was M'gann. Sweet, wonderful M'gann.

She seemed to finally notice that he was there, and the shock immediately forced her to transform, her body suddenly shrinking in size and contorting into the humanoid form he was used to. Her clothes seemed to extend from the red x-like band around her body, and some of the children laughed.

"Oh, Naruto! Um it's good to see you!"

The blonde nodded. "Good to see you too. We don't have much time, however. You need to read my mind and read it fast, right now. No time to explain."

The girl frowned, uncertainty on her face, but she eventually accepted it. "Okay." Her eyes flashed with green light, concentrating on his expression.

Naruto kept his thoughts about the current situation very calm and collected, while still stressing the importance that it was impossible to be lying inside his own head. His form flickered with yellow light as she sifted through his mind. He stared down at his hands, wondering what Hermes was doing. But he wouldn't get any answers any time soon, because M'gann ceased her telepathy.

"Wow… I don't know what to say, but I believe you." The entire dream shattered before his very eyes.

"Good."

* * *

 **PHILADELPHIA**  
AUGUST 8, 22:33 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Robin forced his way into the building, bypassing the security guard without a second glance. The building tried to lock him inside, but he used his personal code and ignored them, watching as the gate fell away.

Within a few seconds, rambling aloud as though it helped him remain calm, he had found a computer and connected his own personal terminal to it. "Please be linked to the mainframe, please be linked to the mainframe."

A few quick keystrokes later, and Robin's programs began to tear through the WayneTech firewalls. Thanks to his own personal access, he had some level of bypassing the first few layers of encryption, but the very tip-top was provided courtesy of Batman. It would perhaps take far too long to actually arrive at the correct conclusion.

The Fog continued to tear through the building, and Robin had to steady his own breathing, as Batman had always taught him, to avoid freaking out.  _The League will be here shor-_

Just as he was about the finish the thought, a very familiar green light began to permeate the building, and he sighed with relief.  _"Green Lantern Guy Gardner at your service, hacking through League communication channels like punching a single piece of paper."_

Robin laughed weakly, too emotionally stunned by everything that was happening that he couldn't really appreciate the man's humor. His program continued its course, knowing the Fog was still potentially sending data despite the force-field surrounding the building. With a triumphant smile, his program tore through the last layer of encryption.

Uploading every bit of back-up data to his wrist computer was incredibly important, and as the data was captured, it was completely deleted from the building's mainframe, and a system of high-powered magnets, designed by Batman, bricked the hard drives as it finished. It was an important full system-wipe failsafe built into every Wayne Enterprises facility across the globe, the same technology utilized by the Justice League.

Without access to Roquette's virus, Robin knew that it was the only way to secure Batman's identity, and keep perhaps the most important source of information in the entire world from going to the wrong place.

Someone slammed open the door, and the familiar sight of the League's magician secured their victory. "Yortsed eht goF ygolonhcet htiw detegrat emalf!"

Almost immediately, the cloud eating away at the building around him burst into fire, the heat nearly overwhelming Robin. He knelt down and covered himself with the flame-retardant cape, enough to insulate himself from the momentary fire, but Zatara was an excellent magic-user. When he opened his eyes, not hearing the inferno any longer, the technology had turned to nothing but ash, without harming any of the surrounding surfaces.

"Whoa," Robin said, amazed. While Batman and Zatara were good friends, Robin himself had not had much interaction with the magician, so every time he saw a spell like that performed, it was so awe-inducing. It put Kaldur and Naruto's specific brand of magic to shame.

"Thanks for the assist," he said as Zatara nodded in his direction, and Robin's computer finished its upload. "I secured the systems to ensure the Fog had little to no access with WayneTech data."

"You did well, and you did well to ask for our help," he explained.

The green light faded as the Lantern flew into the room, smirking as he hovered a few inches above the floor. "Eh, you wouldn't have accomplished either without my support of the building. I was in the neighborhood."

Zatara smiled, but Robin wasn't sure if it was forced or not. "We appreciate the help."

"Robin!" the voice of Superboy cut into the conversation. "I need assistance out here right now. Matter of life or death."

"You're hurt?!"

"Not me. The assassin," he explained. "Just come now."

The shame in the clone's voice was obvious, and Robin wondered what actually happened.

* * *

 **HAPPY HARBOR**  
AUGUST 8, 22:45 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

The second that her eyes flew open, she was immediately aware that something was horribly wrong. She could smell a sickly sweet smell, and her fingers were wet with something very warm and very sticky. In her haze, she reached up to stare at her hand, and her eyes immediately widened at the sight of the red liquid that could only be fresh blood, dripping from her fingertips.

Her immediate thoughts flew to Jade as she forced herself to sit up, without looking over.  _Oh my god, it hadn't been a dream. My sister's dead because of me… Dad was right…_

When Naruto explained what had supposedly happened, after her father's cruel words, she had practically latched onto the idea with all the hope that she could muster. That was why she had believed him so quickly, because she wanted to believe that her sister was not dead because of her, that her mother was still alive. But now, with blood on her hands, she was almost certain that it had not been a dream, but some kind of hellish reality.

Tears flooded her face and she buried her face in her hands, not caring about the blood now staining her mask. After several seconds of telling herself to get it together, she forced herself to face the truth, turning to see the source of the blood. It was a struggle, a true struggle to get her eyes to look over, but when she saw the blonde woman, Artemis sighed with sickening relief.

Jade wasn't dead, and her realization that Naruto had been right dawned on her. It was just a dream, a twisted reality by a god with too much time on his hands. She frowned at the realization that she was glad that Roquette was dead, if it meant that her sister was still alive, and that hurt her and prevented any real, rational thought.

The scientist's body was lying underneath the fallen computer chair, her glasses shattered across her still face, a shard poking and drawing blood in her still open eyes. White coat stained red, a look of shock permanently glued to her expression. After a long moment, she reached over without standing to touch her fingers to the woman's neck, to feel for a pulse, but the effort was lost when it became obvious to her.

The sound of a communicator beeping lightly in her ear shocked her to her feet. The message didn't actually come through to her, unable to register the voice of someone she didn't know speaking to Robin about the status of the mission. "Serling Roquette is dead. We failed."

The sound of silence in that moment was deafening, but Robin finally responded. "We've stopped the Fog on our end and apprehended the League of Shadows operative controlling it. It was pretty easy after Superboy threw a hemi at the guy." The clinical tone mixed with the attempt at humor was entirely misplaced and didn't actually help the situation at all.

"What about the others? What actually happened?" asked Superboy.

Artemis glanced around the school's lab, not sure what to expect to find. She had no idea if the assassin who did this was still around, or if the others on the Team were still alive. She didn't think it made any sense for them to be left standing; if they had the chance to remove heroes, wouldn't that help their goals to kill them all?

A bookshelf suddenly moved in the corner of her vision, and she froze, automatically reaching for her bow and notching an arrow. The sight of Kid Flash and Miss Martian staring at her in shocked silence, looking between her, the blood on her hands and face, and the body was enough to make Artemis hesitate bringing the bow down. She didn't have to be a Martian to read their thoughts, probably already preparing to accuse her.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Kid Flash asked, hands held up.

"Why are you pointing that at us?" the other girl asked, eyes flickering between her bow and the body underneath her feet.

The door seemed to burst open, and both Kaldur and Naruto suddenly were standing in between the standoff, and Artemis realized that they were all going to come to the same conclusion.

"What's happening?" asked Naruto.

"Artemis, lower your weapon. Now."

Kid Flash seemed to suddenly realize something. "Oh, I bet she's the one who did this! She did seem to know a lot about the League of Shadows before this mission started!"

"You guys aren't really thinking that I did this, did you? I woke up next to a puddle of her blood!" She lowered her bow, placing the arrow back in her quiver, just looking for something to say. Her eyes found Wally, staring into his eyes without backing down. "You accuse me of murder?"

Naruto shook his head, standing in between the potential argument. "Guys, it's impossible for her to have done this. She was asleep the whole time too. Do you not remember the female assassin with the white mask? I bet if we looked at Roquette's wound, we'd find that her sai dagger was the murder weapon."

The tension seemed to release when Naruto's words hit home, and Kaldur nodded finally. "The autopsy will clear up any confusion, as you say. We have no reason to believe that Artemis was the one who did this, so we have more important things to discuss. Such as how we move on from this."


	15. Aftermath

LAS VEGAS  
AUGUST 10, 14:18 PST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

"You sure this is the place?"

The tiny suburban house did not have much to look at. Judging from the sign on the mailbox, Wally's question was a little bit stupid to ask.

Naruto was about to point out the obvious when Kaldur placed a calming hand on his shoulder, apparently following his thought processes. He sighed and remembered Mera's advice, to take a moment and actually think before you act. He didn't always remember it in time, but this was a melancholy time for everyone. He was thinking much more than normal these days.

Artemis, on the other hand, was quick to anger, he'd learned. Wally seemed to always be under her skin, and not in the good way. Not at all in the good way. He was surprised they could be in the same room with each other after that horrible accusation from Wally. "For someone who claims to be so smart, you sure do manage to be so dense." Her fingers pointed to the name "Roquette" stretched across the mailbox.

"It could be another family!"

"C'mon, Wall-man, how likely is that?"

Naruto opened his mouth to interject, to get them to shut the hell up, but Kaldur and M'gann had already managed to do so. The Martian gestured to the flowers in her hand, and then passed them on to the blonde girl.

"Wait. You want me-"

"Of course, I do," M'gann said with a smile. "You're a part of this too." The archer looked uneasily at the bouquet and slowly took it from her.

Naruto didn't understand the custom of giving grief flowers. They were just going to rot and die away too. He much preferred the closest Atlantean equivalent, of making a unique iridescent pearl with magic. It would not break until the maker passed away. Kaldur must prefer that tradition too; after all, he helped Queen Mera make two of them for Tula, one for each of her parents.

Naruto suddenly could not stomach this, and he wanted to turn around, to find the nearest swimming pool in this resort town, chuck this monkey suit and hide away. He did not want to feel sad about this. He did not want to feel angry about this. But that was where he was, and he hated it.

"You ready?" M'gann asked all of them, settling her eyes directly on Naruto. He understood the hint without her layer of telepathy, but she added it anyway. "I'm sure you can skip out, if you want. You can go back to Black Canary in the Bio-Ship."

Her friendly care for him was warm, and her honesty and understanding was the nicest he had felt since they returned from the failed mission. "I know, but I have to. We all do."

"Tell that to Superboy and Robin." Her reply was interrupted as Kaldur finally led the five of them to the front door, preparing to knock.

"Anyone else kind of hoping she isn't home?" asked Artemis. Kaldur admonished her with a frown and finally knocked three times on the red wooden door.

There was a long, tense moment before someone finally approached. An older lady by the looks of it, with graying blonde hair and kind eyes. She was staggeringly similar to her daughter, and another pang of guilt rushed to the forefront of his mind.

Naruto was careful to keep his hands in his pockets, to keep his mouth closed. He did not want to terrify the woman with his inhuman features, his too-sharp, too-numerous teeth and fins. Not until they explained who they were and where they come from. He envied M'gann and her ability to completely blend into every situation.

"Good afternoon. Are you Mrs. Roquette?"

She stared awkwardly at the tall Atlantean before finally nodding. "Yes, kids. What can I do for you?"

The five of them glanced at each other, and it was surprisingly Wally who finally took that first step. Always quick to take center stage. "Ma'am, I wish there was a better way to say this, but your daughter was… assassinated."

Naruto felt the anger at her words, could see Artemis tense alongside him. He wanted to find that assassin, to get her back. Hearing that verbalized was enough to really sink it in that it was their fault, their failure that caused it. No matter how much rationalization Wonder Woman and Black Canary had tried to give them that it was none of their faults, Naruto could not listen to that.

He did not break the others from the control of Morpheus soon enough. He should have worked faster, demanded more help from Hermes, something. Anything to prevent an innocent life from being lost. On his watch.

The woman's face was too much to handle, the raw emotion contagious. Naruto wanted to cry, wanted to punch, wanted to do anything but help her deal with this news. He also envied Superboy, who had denied M'gann's request without a slightest hint of hesitation. Right here, right now, he wanted to move and do something productive, do something worth doing. This did not feel productive at all, and it would get him no further to finding that cat-masked assassin.

The head of a flower dropped to the sidewalk, and Naruto eyed Artemis curiously. The girl was on the verge of tears, and she had gripped the bouquet in her hands so tightly that she was harming the flowers beneath. He reached forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, as M'gann and Kaldur and Wally tried to explain the situation to the grieving woman.

"We're going to deal with this," Naruto whispered in her ear. "If it's the last thing I do, we'll get her."

Artemis tensed further at the touch, and at his words, but after a moment, leaned into them just enough to return the gesture. She made no comment as she stepped forward, holding out the bouquet of flowers.

WATCHTOWER  
AUGUST 10, 15:24 PST  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Orin could not keep his eyes away from the Zeta tube, even as Captain Marvel spoke adamantly about the history of the television show Heroes. It was odd, not because passion was strange, but because of the circumstances of recent events.

"Captain, while I am certain that it was annoying to a shipper, whatever that is, that Peter was Claire's uncle, can you please be quiet?"

The man looked hurt for a moment, drifting back to the ground as his elation dropped. "Oh. Sorry." He paused. "Oh, right. You're thinking about the Team, aren't you?"

It was all he could think about. Naruto and the others, they weren't ready to have to deal with the guilt of someone's death being their supposed responsibility. They were supposed to avoid this problem by making sure they all operated under the League's banner, in secret, and with full authority.

"The missions will be carefully selected," Batman had said after the events at Cadmus. "They won't handle anything that they are not ready for."

What a load of bullshit.

"Yes, Captain, I am," he finally said to the other man. "I would speak with you about it, but I think I need some air, maybe some coffee." Wakame came to mind, but he frowned at the notion.

"Can I come with?"

He sighed, and Marvel finally seemed to get the picture. "Right. Sorry. I probably should be heading home soon anyway. Got some… uh… homework to do in Fawcett. Beat up the bad guys and all, on my home turf."

"Right," Orin stated, waving as the man flew at the Zeta Tube. Orin was prepared to do the same, to head back and let Katar start his shift early, but the tubes lit up, announcing the appearance of Diana. Orin perked up at seeing the woman.

"I'd avoid Aquaman if I were you. He's a little pre-occupied. 'Naruto stuff' if you catch my drift." Captain Marvel tried, and failed, to whisper. Orin just sighed and then smiled, as Diana headed to join him. The Zeta Tube burned once more as the other hero vanished.

"Do you want the business matters or the personal matters first?" the woman asked as she sat next to him on the bench, overlooking the garden.

Orin considered it for a moment. "Business first. Need something to distract my mind."

"Right," she stated, frowning with concern. Orin waved it off, and the brunette finally continued, "I have consulted with Mother, who has used the Aegis recently to commune with Lady Hera."

Orin nodded, remembering her concerns at the last League meeting. "She finally reached them?"

"Yes, after a few weeks of near constant effort," she explained. "The pantheon is moving, getting involved as a whole in some impending conflict. We do not know for what purpose, or what the conflict is, only that the gods have deemed it necessary to go after someone utilizing 'otherworldly' power."

Orin wished he knew what that meant, and his confused expression must have gotten through to her. "We don't know who this someone is or what is meant by otherworldly, but Mother wanted me to spread the word to you so that Atlantis will be on the same page."

The King nodded. It was big of Queen Hippolyta to want to open up that kind of communication, to extend an olive branch like this. Tensions between the two nations have been at an all-time low, but the blonde queen still held reservations about Atlantis. She was, after all, eternal and un-aging and carried many ancient grudges. Orin wondered quite often if she would forgive Atlantis for its transgressions that she had witnessed, but he supposed the same could be said for Themiscyra's transgressions against his country as well. They did not have to be virtually immortal to remember the not-so-ancient conflicts.

"Give her my thanks for passing along the message. If my people understand anything more about the gods, I will send word. Orm is perhaps unduly fascinated by this subject, and he will work hard to learn more."

He doubted that Atlantis would hear anything directly from the gods. It was one of the reasons why Diana's people considered themselves superior to them, besides the obvious inclusion of men in the kingdom. They did not possess the still-functional Aegis. The Jewel of Amphitrite and other artifacts had not functioned as a communication conduit for millennia.

Diana turned to look him in the eye. "Now. We need to discuss the personal, do we not?"

He frowned and then nodded. "I have been trying to give Naruto his space to understand this on his own, as I did when I was young. I do not know if it is the correct decision, but I feel that he needs to be independent. This Team is supposed to be for that purpose, to groom them for full membership into the League with real experience."

He had helped his father stop the Lemurian rebellion at the wee age of fifteen. He had killed someone in the only real fight he personally was involved in, and had lost one of his squad members do to his own decisions. He could have saved many other lives if he had been stronger. Naruto may not have to deal with the consequences of murder on the battlefield yet, but he likely felt the same kind of guilt for Roquette's death.

Diana did not seem happy to hear him, although she seemed to understand the rationale. "We have already discussed this at length, but it bears repeating. Naruto needs you in his life. You may not be his father, but you're the closest thing he has. This is the exact thing that he needs from you, because if he can't count on you in times of trouble like this, then when can he?"

MOUNT JUSTICE  
AUGUST 11, 20:38 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto leaped from the water and rolled immediately into a standing position. Whipping the wind around him, he struck outward and watched as his tattoos flickered in and out with intensity. He gestured to the water, and with effort, combined it with his wind, spiraling the two together as his body twisted in the same motions.

As he moved his limbs, kicking, rolling, and punching, the water followed along with him, connected to his movements with a tethering spell. Wind was natural, his affinity for it giving him greater control. But he needed more complex control enchantments to get to something approaching Kaldur's Water-Bearers or Tula's natural water affinity. The air under his control was supposed to add to that, but he was having trouble getting them to blend into one motion properly.

His movements and controlled elements haphazardly flowed together, and as he performed his best impression of a Robin cartwheel, the water slipped out of his control and splattered against the beach of the hangar. The silver wind still held together where the combined water had been.

"Shit." He knew he needed to get better, to improve drastically. He'd wanted to ask Hermes for advice, but the god was frustratingly silent after the Morpheus fiasco. No one else he knew or had access to was particularly able to help him get better with sorcery; he was miles above Kaldur in combat magic and support magic overall, although the other had the control advantage over water thanks to his tools.

"Are you having trouble, Riptide?"

He glanced up to see the descending figure of Red Tornado, wind swirled around him for flight. He considered it a moment and then tried once more to mimic him, a swirling vortex of silvery wind surrounding his lower body. Holding the magic in place as best he could, he forced his body to lift upward off the ground, and then immediately regretted it as he was flung far away from the too-concentrated force.

Red Tornado managed to grab him with a cushion of crimson air, swirling around his body to prevent him from impacting against the rocky wall of the cavern over the ocean passageway. He was almost certain that the robot would be laughing if he could.

Naruto fell into the water and swam back toward land. "Thanks for the save."

"You are welcome," Tornado explained. "I have already run an analysis on your particular brand of wind abilities. While I do not properly understand the sorcery involved, I do understand that the human brain is, unfortunately, lacking its ability to concentrate the way that it needs to for my brand of flight. I am able to process the individual air currents I create in order to lift my chassis to provide direction and high-speed flight, due to my processing power. You do not have that capacity."

Naruto nodded, frustrated at being told he had a limit, but understanding. If only he were smarter… He rubbed absently at his ankles, staring at the place where Hermes had grafted him with winged tattoos, enabling him to fly during the dream world. He had, unfortunately, learned nothing about the process behind how that worked, only that the divine magic must have inherently possessed the ability. He didn't recall any tattoo variants in Atlantis that could give air-based flight, and he supposed that it wouldn't have made any sense for that to have been developed under the ocean. High-speed swimming skin icons were possible, but utilized different means and looked totally different.

But despite that, he really wanted to improve, and flight seemed like a good idea. Serling Roquette had changed everything for him, and he was going to get better. No longer was this an abstract goal of, "I want to be good enough to join the League one day."

No. He wanted to be good enough to protect his teammates, his friends, his loved ones, and the innocent. He had a goal, a person to track down, and if it took him taking down the entire League of Shadows to do it, he would.

"Thanks for explaining that," he stated. The Bio-Ship was in its rest mode, but he admired its odd ability to defy gravity. "But I'm going to fly one day, you mark my words."

HAPPY HARBOR  
AUGUST 16, 13:52 EDT  
TEAM YEAR ZERO

Naruto paced back and forth. It was just supposed to be a lunch, just a quick lunch at the best seafood place in the northeast. It was expensive, but apparently, was not going to be on his dime for once. Which was good, because he really couldn't afford to go to this place.

Why it was taking so long, he had no idea. They were almost eight minutes late, and Naruto hated people who were frequently late. He'd never known him to be late before, though, so this was obviously something new.

The people outside were going to get nervous with him around much longer, waiting on them. But finally, a cab pulled up and revealed more than one passenger, which is not what he expected.

King Orin smiled in his surface-world civilian clothing, an awestruck cab drive not fully realizing that he had just hosted royalty, of the undersea variety. He was wearing a light orange polo shirt and khaki pants, and he didn't look a bit comfortable in that at all.

Orin was accompanied by two females, one of whom Naruto did not recognize immediately due to her lack of tiara and revealing red, yellow, and blue uniform. She wore a modernized white chiton dress and a dark jacket, her silver arm bracers still present in case she gets in a jam.

The other was much younger than Diana, but they look weirdly similar. Dark black hair, blue eyes, same angular face and full lips. She was dressed a tiny bit more casually than the older woman, a white blouse and dark jeans. They looked far more out of place than they probably intended, but because he knows who they are, in a way, their oddness stood out to him more.

"It's good to see you, Naruto!" Orin said, clasping his arm just above the wrist, as was the custom greeting. "Thank you for meeting me here. I hope you don't mind that I brought along guests."

Diana giggled. "You say that as if you had a choice in the matter, Orin."

Naruto laughed. "So you're her sister Donna? We've never met."

The teenaged girl nodded with a smile, flickering her eyes to her older sister. "No, I don't think we have. Not that I can remember anyway." The awkward smile in response of the two adults was not lost on him, but he hadn't the faintest idea what they were referring to.

"Anyway, let's head inside," Diana said. "We've tons of things to discuss, and not enough time in the day."

Within a few minutes, they had a booth with a beautiful view of the ocean, the sun streaming just right into the window to glint off of the plates. Naruto and Orin sat across from the pair of sisters, and Naruto couldn't wait to gloat to Wally and Robin about this.

"I thought you were an exception to the rule," Naruto said, looking at Wonder Woman.

"What rule?"

"The annoying one about no one leaving the island."

Donna laughed. "That rule is a little outdated, don't you think? I rather like being here, although I always have to have an escort."

Diana nodded. "Mother is… challenging, to say the least. However, she has become more relaxed about the rule these days, so long as they are accompanied by me."

Naruto shrugged. "Sounds like the island's a prison, really. Stuck there with a bunch of women."

Orin clapped him on the back. "I'm sure you don't mean that."

Diana and Donna, however, are seemingly not offended, although Naruto probably wasn't a good judge of character about that. "I assure you that there are plenty of women who don't mind the company," Donna states, and Orin nearly spits up water.

Naruto didn't understand that, but whatever. "So what do you like about it all so far?"

The girl gestured around her. "The food is so much better. More variety. We can kinda magically grow our own food, but we're a bit limited in our choices. Diana took me to this place one time that had actual steak!"

Naruto wasn't sure why that was such a big deal, but Orin appeased him. "Hera's sacred animal is a cow, and most inhabitants of the island worship her and follow her lifestyle. They'd never think to eat a cow in any form."

"It's an affront to Lady Hera," Diana explained, turning to her sister. "Although I do not believe I should force you to follow a certain path. You'll make your decisions and face the consequences."

Donna looked as though she was about to roll her eyes, but she somehow stopped herself. "So what's going on with you?"

Naruto wondered how to respond to that question, and he suddenly didn't have an answer. "Uhhh."

"Naruto's on the Team, as I'm sure you know," Orin tried to add for him, and Naruto appreciated it.

"Yeah. I don't really want to get into it, but some bad stuff recently happened, and I'm trying to get over it."

Donna looked confused and concerned. "What do you mean? Diana, they didn't lose a teammate, did they?"

The woman nodded. "No. Naruto, do I have your consent to tell Donna about what occurred?"

He took a moment to think about it and then nodded. He needed to share this with others, to admit his guilt openly and see how they respond. They would tell him what they always said, and they probably would never understand why he felt the way that he did about it.

"They were on a mission to protect a scientist named Serling Roquette from the League of Shadows. Unfortunately, the Team was interrupted by temporary dreams from Morpheus." At that, Donna's deep blue eyes were like saucers. "During that time, the assassins succeeded in their task."

Donna seemed to understand the concerns that Diana had already shared with Naruto before, because she did not ask the obvious question, "Why would a god get involved with anything?" The pantheon was moving, and Naruto himself was proof of that, with Hermes picking him as his champion, whatever that really means.

"That's awful," she said after a time. "I'm sorry that you had that happen to you. I wish there was something that I could have done."

He could tell how sincere she was, and it felt good to have someone acknowledge that.

Orin turned to look at him. "That's one of the reasons why I invited you to this. To catch up, to see how you're holding up. I went through something similar when I was your age."

They were all here to help him, to try to make him feel better, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. Donna probably hadn't known about it beforehand, but her sister certainly did and Orin probably asked for help. He appreciated it, but he also kind of wanted to handle it his own way. They couldn't help him, not really, unless…

"It's fine, I think. Artemis, honestly, is the one that you should talk to," he realized. "I know where I stand, what I want, and what I want is revenge. I can't tell what she wants; she hardly talks to anyone, and she's bitter and angry and probably self-destructive. I worry about her. Wally's… complicated, and he sort of accused her of doing the assassination."

All of this was news to them. "Revenge?" Orin asked. "I've been down this road before, Naruto. It never ends well."

"I can handle it," he replied.

"No, you can-"

"Yes, I can," he finished, realizing he was angrier than he really understood. "I didn't think I could handle being banished from my home, but I'm still here. Not sure you're the best judge for what I can or cannot 'handle.'"

The table fell silent.

He instantly regretted his words, but it was too late. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Orin held up his hand. "I deserved that. I deserve a lot of things. I made a mistake, and I'm willing to convince the right people to help me correct it."

Naruto's elation was unbounded. "Really?"

"Really," he stated. "I've actually been planning it for a while, but I think you might have just finally given me the gall to actually go through with it. It'll be worth whatever risk has held Mera and me back, if it means that you'll forgive me."


End file.
